Acclaimed chef Christopher Kearse faces charges of simple assault and harassment after a former manager at Forsythia, his Michelin-recommended French restaurant in Old City, said the chef grabbed him and tried to trip him in an incident in July.
A trial is scheduled for Friday in Municipal Court, according to court records.
Court records do not identify the manager. The Inquirer has not been able to obtain details from the incident report or the private criminal complaint.
On the morning of July 25, according to the manager and multiple sources, he was fired after a shouting match with Kearse in the restaurant’s basement office.
The former manager spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid jeopardizing future employment in Philadelphia’s closely connected restaurant industry.
He said that as he was leaving through the dining room shortly before brunch service, he tried to return to the basement to retrieve his laptop, but Kearse blocked his path, stuck out a leg, grabbed him, and threw him.
Kearse, in an interview, acknowledged that there was an altercation, saying he wanted to prevent the worker from returning to the basement because he was concerned for the safety of his wife, who was working there.
The chef denied wrongdoing and said he had security-camera footage that would confirm his account, but later said he was unable to retrieve it.
Kearse’s attorney, Andrew Levin, described the encounter as “a tussle.”
He said the manager had left the restaurant after being fired, but attempted to return. “Chris tried to stop him, and then that’s when a tussle occurred,” Levin said.
The former manager, who had worked at Forsythia for three years, said he has suffered lingering damage from the incident and has been undergoing physical therapy after suffering a torn rotator cuff. He said his doctors recommend surgery.
Three now-former Forsythia employees — a server, a food runner, and a chef who witnessed the altercation in the dining room — supported the former manager’s account of the incident. They also requested anonymity because of the insular nature of the industry.
The former server said she saw the two yelling. “The next thing I knew, [the manager] was trying to get by, and Chef was blocking him,” she said. “Chef kind of stuck out his leg, essentially to trip him. Then he pulled him by one arm and shoulder, bending him backward. The next thing you know, it was a full-blown altercation. Glasses were being broken, plates were being broken, and tables were being pushed around.” She quit soon after.
The former food runner said she quit that day “because I didn’t feel comfortable to return after what I had witnessed.” The chef said he finished his shift and quit the next day.
The former manager said he filed a private criminal complaint at the 26th Police District on the day of the incident. Such complaints allow people to file a misdemeanor case without a police report. Once approved by the district’s attorney’s office, such complaints are sent to Municipal Court. At a mediation hearing Oct. 9, the former manager said he obtained a protection order. Court records show that the charges against Kearse were then filed.
The former manager said he also hired a lawyer, Prince Holloway, to protect his rights because he said the injuries were suffered in the workplace.
Forsythia is open for business.
Kearse, a Levittown native and longtime presence in Philadelphia’s restaurant industry, opened Forsythia in 2019 after previously operating Will BYOB in East Passyunk and heading the kitchen at Pumpkin in South Philadelphia. He opened Forsythia, at 233 Chestnut St., in August 2019.
In June, Kearse opened Known Associates, a swank cocktail bar at 10th and Spruce Streets that has been closed for at least several weeks for apparently unrelated issues. Kearse attributed the closure, which he described as temporary, to staffing difficulties, employee departures, and payroll disputes, as well as the theft of checks totaling over $30,000 that he had to make good.
In a recent interview, Kearse described himself as a firm but fair boss who could be loud and direct, and acknowledged that his approach sometimes caused friction with employees. “I’m not saying I’m perfect,” he said.
The trial is scheduled before Judge Joffie C. Pittman III. Simple assault, ordinarily a second-degree misdemeanor in Pennsylvania, carries a maximum sentence of two years in jail and a $5,000 fine.