Ghafla Exclusive: Capital Club Chief Chef Denies Allegations Of Racism and Harassment Towards His Staff; a Real Revelation Of What Is Going On In Nairobi’s Lofty Club
It is East Africa’s premier private City Club situated in the heart of the new business district of Westlands, Nairobi. It has one of the most renowned chefs in world history. A chef who has built a reputation for himself for his years of experience in catering to the refined tastes of some of the world’s most famous people.
Luigi Frascella is known for having cooked for celebrities such as Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Al Pacino and Tina Turner.
Luigi, who joined Capital Club from Giannino Restaurant at Meydan Beach in Dubai, has previously worked for multiple Michelin-star restaurants, starting off his illustrious career at the two-Michelin Star restaurant Albereta in Italy under the tutelage of a man considered to be the founder of modern Italian cuisine, Gualtiero Marchesi.
But something horribly wrong has been cooking up against the Chief Chef at Capital Club in Westlands. His staff members seem to be completely dissatisfied with the manner in which he is handling them.
This is not the first time such accusations are coming up. In February this year, employees at #Capital Club strongly aired their grievances alleged to have come from the chef. Among the accusations levelled against him included racial abuse and molestation to the female employees.
Luigi Frascella, the renowned Chef
This led to officers from the immigration department visiting Capital Club for interrogation. Ghafla Kenya sought to ascertain if indeed the officers summoned him for interrogation and Luigi admitted that indeed they investigated the matter and realised it was all fabricated. He says that is why he is still at Capital Club.
Almost eight months down the line, the very same allegations have come against Luigi, this time round though with a big impact and a lot of seriousness.
A close source exclusively revealed to Ghafla that the situation at Capital club has grown sickening, wanting and that which needed urgent intervention if at all the employees at the lofty club were to be spared the racism and harassment of Luigi Prascella.
In a letter specifically addressed to President Uhuru Kenyatta and which Ghafla Kenya has exclusively obtained, one of the employees, who requested to be kept anonymous because of the fear of losing their job, accuses Luigi of being a racist, calls employees dogs and brags that he can do anything without being reprimanded because he believes Africans are still stupid and that is why they were colonised.
Here is the letter as obtained by Ghafla Kenya:
To ascertain the truth behind this, Ghafla Kenya sought an interview with the accused, Luigi Frascella, which he accepted.
Our journey started off from the city centre, through Ngara to Westlands where Capital Club lies in a serene, cool and inviting environment.
After undergoing the necessary procedures common to meeting VIPs, we were allowed into the club, located at the 7th floor of the Imperial Bank Limited building.
The lift up did not disappoint either. Within a minute or so, we were at the club’s doorstep. What meets the eyes is a cool environment, beautiful ladies and handsome men, full of themselves but deep down their hearts razed by what they allege is harassment on their own motherland.
Luigi emerges from the kitchen, limping out of the day’s chores and his first words are,”You are looking for me?” We nod in consent and then he leads us to a corner, on a soft sofa and requests us to make ourselves comfortable.
A section of the inside of Capital Club
A lady follows us suit and Luigi asks us on her behalf if we mind some meal. We quickly decline because we had already visited a cafe down-town and had our favourite Matumbo Ugali for lunch. So we are comfortable. He orders the lady to serve him with what he loves. She quickly rushes to the other side of the lounge and brings him a cigarette and something that looks like coffee.
Our interview kicks off swiftly because of the seriousness of the allegations leveled against the renowned chef and our first question is, “Is it true that you are harassing your staff and calling them racial names?”
NO is the answer we get. A flurry of questions and discussions follow suit and Luigi, a composed man who has traveled far and wide to spread the cooking gospel, softly leans forward and starts his story.
“When I was asked to come over to work at Capital Club, I, without hesitation took up the offer and left my lucrative job in Dubai to work in Nairobi, Kenya. There is no way I could come over if I were a racist as they say”, he says this with a stern sorry face.
We ask how it can be possible for his staff to spend a whole year complaining about his alleged antics at Capital Club. His response is simple but leaves room for more questions. He says, ”You know Ethwarith (Edward) in any organisation there are rules and regulations to be followed. When I ask my staff to do this, they feel I am doing it in a bad way. But you must remain and stick to work principles for you to get the best out of your staff”.
He adds, “I have very good and hard working employees here at Capital Club. How I mistreat them I don’t know. I have never called anyone a dog. I love Kenya and its people. I know we come from different backgrounds but there is no way I can mishandle or manhandle the people who are so welcoming to me. I also work with my wife in the same kitchen. We all respect each other here”.
Section of Capital Club
Luigi requested us to spend a single day at Capital Club and ascertain how work is done. He also wondered why somebody would write to the media and the president and yet there are police all over whom one can report to.
We reminded him that it is alleged he bribes officials. He quickly refuted the allegations and termed them malicious.
Amidst buffs of cigarette smoke, our interview is coming to a conclusion but Luigi begs us once again to visit club capital to ascertain the truth behind everything. We promise to.
We leave Capital Club slowly; eyes of the employees following us keenly as we wait for the lifts to open and finally, when they come, we take a final glance at the serenity of the place but with a destroyed rapport behind it, and off we leave.
What unfolds after this is a story for another day.
