A restaurant chef who received death threats after boasting about “spiking” a vegan customer’s meal has resigned.
Laura Goodman, co-owner of Italian restaurant Carlini in Shifnal, Shropshire, wrote in a Facebook group that she had “spiked a vegan a few hours ago”, adding that a “pious, judgemental vegan” had gone to bed “still believing she’s a vegan”.
Her posts provoked a slew of bad online reviews, plans for Telford Vegan Action to stage a protest outside the restaurant, and, allegedly, death threats.
The Shifnal restaurant and its sister Carlini venue in Albrighton closed as Facebook users urged others not to trust Ms Goodman and to avoid anything cooked by her.
Ms Goodman later apologised, with her fiancé and business partner saying her “flippant” post stemmed from disappointment at cooking special vegan dishes for a group of diners, only for one to choose a pizza from the regular menu that contained mozzarella cheese and was not vegan.
Now, though, it appears that Ms Goodman, 47, has resigned.
In a statement issued on behalf of the restaurant on Wednesday, a spokesman said: "Laura Goodman has today tendered her resignation from Carlini, and the board of directors are currently considering their options.
"Whilst this process is being completed, Laura will not be working at either of the restaurants, which will reopen later this week.”
Before her resignation, Michael Gale, Ms Goodman’s fiancé and business partner, insisted she never put meat in the vegan’s food and never meant to say she had.
At the time she wrote her Facebook comments, he explained, Ms Goodman did not know that to vegans and vegetarians, references to “spiking” someone’s food specifically meant putting meat in it.
Mr Gale, 62, said: “She had spent a lot of time designing a special vegan menu for a party, who then decided to choose something from the existing menu – one meal of which was a cheese-based pizza, which isn’t vegan friendly. This is what she meant by the Facebook comment. In no way does this excuse the comment and we totally understand the anger it has subsequently caused.
“However, we want to assure everyone that the meals were all prepared to our usual high standards and in accordance with the Food Standards Agency. No meat was used in any of the dishes.”
Mr Gale also said Ms Goodman had received death threats, which had been reported to the police.
Ms Goodman made her comments in a Facebook group called "The Boring Group", in the early hours of Saturday. Her posts have since been removed.
