According to a Nov.1, 2019 article run by the New York Times, Anthony Cailan, a rising star among sommeliers in the high-end restaurant world has recently been accused of sexual assault by several women. The accusations came on the heels of a September 10 cover photo of the celebrity wine professional on Wine and Spirits magazine.

Reportedly getting his start in several Los Angeles area restaurants—one of which was Eggslut where his brother Alvin was a chef—Cailan and his brother were recruited to work at The Usual in New York City in 2018. It was there that Cailan received the praises of the press and respect of colleagues, leading to his nomination as “future leader of the $300 billion global wine business”.

For several weeks following the cover shot and accolades, women began “coming out of the woodwork” to accuse the sommelier of real and attempted sexual assault. One of the accusing women was 22-year-old Raquel M., formerly of Los Angeles. Cailan had purportedly been her mentor in California after hiring her to work at a wine bar in Los Angeles with him.

He invited her to make the move to New York City to work at The Usual when he decided to transfer there. According to a Nov. 1, 2019 report in the Los Angeles Magazine, Cailan forced kisses on Makler, pulled at her clothes to try to remove them, and attempted to rape her.

As indicated by the New York Times report, the second woman to accuse Cailan of attempted sexual assault was 29-year-old Sarah F., a wine company sales representative. While she acknowledges consenting to a certain amount of physicality within the context of a particular encounter with the sommelier, she claims that his attempts to take things further than she wanted were aggressive and continual.

The Los Angeles Magazine source further elaborates on this alleged encounter by saying that Fernandez was purportedly lured to his apartment in New York under the guise of tasting some of the products her company offered. She was supposedly groped and assaulted at that time. Cailan denies the validity of these claims and insists he is innocent.

While the timing of the nomination and accusations may appear to be suspiciously aligned, rumors of the wine expert’s abusive behavior are not new, according to the magazine. Early in 2019, Cailan was sent an email from five former co-workers in which he was requested to refrain from visiting former workplaces when he found himself visiting Los Angeles in the future. One of those co-workers was Jill Bernheimer, owner of Domaine LA, as indicated by the magazine. The email essentially communicated the intent to hold him accountable for his behavior and to let him know it was wholly and completely unacceptable to them.

In a November 5, 2019 article posted on BonAppetit.com, the author makes reference to a culture of acceptance when it comes to sexually abusive behavior in the wine and restaurant business. She claims it is time to adopt a “zero tolerance policy”—especially in the light of the fact that the atmosphere condones drinking where inhibitions are naturally lowered. The article references a helpful “color code of conduct” chart created by a restaurant known as the Homeroom in Oakland, Calif. The chart allows workers to identify situations by level of concern according to color to alert managers to potential problems.

Accusations of sexual assault and abuse have been made against celebritiesin other industries, including music and film.

This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.