Celebrity chefs were a recipe for disaster this year.
From Paula Deen's racism accusations to Gordon Ramsay walking away from a pair of owners who refused to take his advice. Here are three of 2013's biggest celebrity chef scandals.
Paula Deen N-word scandal:
The Butter Lady was fired from her hit show on the Food Network, after a lawsuit filed against Deen claimed the chef used the N-word and displayed racist behavior at the workplace.
Along with her brother, Bubba Hiers, the lawsuit filed by Lisa Jackson, a former manager of the siblings' restaurant, Uncle Bubba's Seafood and Oyster House, also alledged sexual harassment and an unpleasant work environment. Deen later posted two videos apologizing for her actions and pleading her fans for forgiveness.
"I beg you," Deen said in the video. "I beg for your forgiveness."
Deen, who admitted using racial slurs in the past, eventually won her legal battle on discrimination. In August, a judge dismissed the claims made by Jackson, ruling that a white former employee had no standing to bring claims of racial discrimination, according to the New York Times.
"There are no allegations that defendant Hiers's racially offensive comments were either directed toward plaintiff or made with the intent to harass her," Judge William T. Moore Jr., said in his ruling, according to the Huffington Post.
Moore stated that Jackson's lawsuit did not meet the standard for protection under federal law and said the former manager was no more than "an accidental victim of the alleged racial discrimination." Deen has lost several sponsors due to her controversial lawsuit.
Nigella Lawson Drug Charge:
Celebrity chef Nigella Lawson admitted to a London courtroom that she used cocaine and marijuana in the past. Lawson said she was embarrassed but felt she needed to come clean about her drug use and also mentioned that she was not "habitually using" illegal drugs.
"I would rather be honest, if ashamed, and explain the drug usage, but I wanted to make sure that I wasn't going to be bullied [with] lies," Lawson told the court, according to People magazine. "I am not proud of the fact that I have taken drugs, but that does not make me a drug addict or a habitual drug user.
The 53-year-old chef appeared in court to testify against her two former personal assistants, Elisabetta and Francesca Grillo, who were accused of fraud. The sisters are charged with embezzling money from the company credit card, while being employed to Lawson and her ex-husband Charles Saatchi, claims that the sisters deny.
The women's lawyer defended that Lawson let them do as they please, in exchange for silence about her drug use. Lawson also said her ex-husband threatened to "destroy" her, if she did not clear his name, after the 70-year-old was photographed choking her outside of a London restaurant.
The Grillo's were cleared of trying to defrauding the former couple.
Gordon Ramsay Walks Out:
The celebrity chef gives a whole new meaning to the phase, "If you can't stand the heat then stay out of the kitchen."
The "Kitchen Nightmare" host quit filming during an episode with Arizona restaurateur owners, Samy and Amy Bouzaglo. The couple who owned, Amy's Baking Company in Scottsdale, were reportedly difficult to work with.
"After nearly 100 Kitchen Nightmares, I've met two owners who I could not help," Ramsay said after he walked out on the episode, which was filmed in December 2012. "And it wasn't because I didn't want to, it's because they are incapable of listening and in a short period of time, they've managed to piss off the community and go through over 100 employees in one year.
"Samy and Amy continue to blame everyone else, but their biggest problem is themselves. And I know, whatever changes I would have made, they were never going to stick to them and that's why I've decided to do something I've never done before. It's such a shame," he said.
During the episode, the couple were seen constantly yelling at one another and even as customers, including one they chased out their eatery and later threaten. Amy is seen firing a teenage waitress mid-way through the episode.
After the episode aired, the couple took to their Facebook page to defend the business and respond to people's comments.
"Do US a favor and keep your ugly face and your ugly opinions to yourself and go back to the restaurant that you really work at!!" Amy wrote in reply to reviewer Joe LaTondress.
