Chef accuses ex-employee of giving recipes to competitor

The owner and head chef of a shop selling gourmet fish preparations have filed court proceedings against a former employee, accusing him of passing on proprietary recipes and other trade secrets to a competitor.

Chef Adam Demanuele and businessman Louis Genuis, owners of Adam’s Gourmet Fish Shop, have filed a judicial protest against former employee Prakash Kunju Perath this morning, claiming the alleged act had caused confusion among the shop's clientele and loss of business.

In the judicial protest filed before the First Hall of the Civil Court on 8 February by lawyers Pawlu Lia and Veronique Dalli this morning, the plaintiffs claim that they had created unique recipes and distinctive presentation styles that are associated with establishment. Perath had been employed by the business for 19 months, they claim, and had been given training on and knowledge about the recipes they had developed.

The defendant had resigned in October 2016 and now works for a supermarket, whom the plaintiffs described as a competitor in the same sector. Demanuele and Genuis allege that Perath had passed on the information he had garnered during his stint with Adam's Gourmet Fish Shop to his new employer, arguing this to be a case of unfair competition.

The judicial protest claims the plaintiffs are suffering damages as a result and warn that they will be holding Perath solely responsible for these losses.

Perath later filed a counter protest denying the allegations, claiming they were merely intended to harm his reputation and his standing with his new employer. The counter-protest calls on Demanuele and Genuis to desist from making further allegations, warning that he might resort to legal action should they persist with their claim.