Editor’s Note: We updated our head to more accurately reflect the actions of Cookbook management.
Last week several readers sent us a TikTok video from a Cookbook Larchmont employee asking for assistance for a fellow employee who had been fired inappropriately according to the video. The accusations sent shockwaves through the neighborhood as customers and Cookbook fans wondered if the statements were true.
“This situation at Cookbook Larchmont was unacceptable and failed to live up to our values as a company, and we truly regret how this employee was treated,” a spokesperson for Cookbook told the Buzz this weekend. “We have offered the employee their job back, terminated the involved manager, and sent this note to our team about our commitment to making it right and ensuring a safe, welcoming space for all.”
According to the note, “On Monday, a new manager at our Cookbook Larchmont location called the non-emergency police line after misrepresenting a situation with an employee to leadership and Human Resources, and the employee was later terminated. Immediately following this, our Human Resources team conducted a thorough review and determined that the situation was misrepresented by the manager, the manager inappropriately escalated the situation with the employee, it was wrong to call the police, and the employee should not have been terminated.”
“It is extremely upsetting to us that a Black person was treated like this in a way that perpetuated harmful racial stereotypes. We truly regret how this employee was treated, and have offered them their job back with back pay for shifts that were missed, and we have terminated the manager involved,” the note continued.
“Cookbook Larchmont is still new, and we are working through early growing pains to figure out how we can best fit into our community and serve our customers.”
The note was signed by Cookbook owners Helen Johannesen, Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo.
