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Hotel Chef Fired After Boasting He Secretly Fed Animal Products To Vegans On Instagram

By Anne Sewell
Published on: 22:13 PST, Jul 9, 2016

A hotel chef in the U.K. recently boasted of how much he enjoyed secretly feeding animal products to vegans. This boast led to the head chef losing his job, even though he subsequently said he made the comment to irritate a vegan woman on Instagram.

Alex Lambert, 30, made the post on Instagram that it was his “personal favorite” hobby to serve “animal products” to vegans without their knowledge.

After the post drew outrage from Instagram users, and after receiving much pressure from vegan campaigners who labeled the hotel chef as “dangerous” and accusing him of abusing their human rights, Lambert’s contract with the hotel was terminated.

A little too late, Lambert – the father of one child – has since denied ever feeding meat or animal products to anyone against their will. He said he made the Instagram post merely to irritate a vegan woman he had gotten into an argument with on the photo sharing platform.

In his argument with the woman, the hotel chef wrote: “Well you should find a better way to spend your time, my personal favorite is feeding vegans animal products and them not knowing.”

According to a report by Boing Boing, the woman responded, “Hope you get caught one day, would love to see that. I know we’re a minority and really don’t give a sh*t because that has no relevance. Enjoy the heart disease.”

After the exchange hit social media, vegans widely shared the post, including flooding the Facebook page of the Littleover Lodge Hotel in Derby where Lambert worked and giving the hotel one star reviews.

Initially, the hotel suspended the chef, insisting that Lambert’s comments were made “in a heated moment” and that “this practice has never taken place.” However, the ongoing rage from the vegan community, with many calling on people to boycott the hotel, was taken more seriously.

Among the feedback on Facebook, Doreen McCluskey commented: “The chef at this hotel prides himself on sneaking pork bits in the food of people who can’t eat it. He thinks that it’s very funny. I suggest that you eat elsewhere unless you want to be the butt of the joke and be sick, after paying good money for your food.”

Abigail Elizabeth Suter reportedly wrote: “People have a right to know what goes into their food. If I asked for a vegan dish and was told that is what I’d get then I’d expect a vegan dish. Not something where the chef has been sneaking animal products into it for a laugh.”

This led to the hotel escalating the former head chef’s suspension to a final termination, with the hotel chain releasing a statement that they had investigated the accusations against the chef. The statement continued that while no evidence to the claims against the chef had been found, due to Lambert’s comments regarding “specific dietary requirements,” the hotel had decided to terminate his contract.

While Lambert’s social media accounts have since been deleted, the Daily Mail reported that his Instagram profile had self-described the chef as a “carnivore” and said people should “stop being so sensitive.” That newspaper also claimed the hotel chef had only recently started his job.

Reportedly, Lambert has since spoken about the incident saying: “I have been a chef for nine years. I have never in this time done anything like feeding a vegan animal products or slipped in contaminated food.”

“My job has always been my passion and something I have always taken very seriously. It was a stupid comment said out of anger.

“For the record I have no issue with vegans.”

Meanwhile, the hotel appears to be going out of its way to reassure vegans by offering to prepare vegan dishes.

[Photo via Instagram]

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