Associated Press: Atlanta Bread Company International Inc. has sued its former head chef, claiming he stole the menu and store designs for a new restaurant concept and used them to launch his own eatery.
In a lawsuit filed Feb. 23 in Fulton County Superior Court, the bakery café chain charges Peter Teimori not only took those new recipes and other trade secrets with him when he left the company in November but also deleted some of the computer files containing them on his way out.
Teimori did leave behind a resignation letter, in which he says company chief executive Jerry Couvaras threatened to "kill and destroy" him if he opened a competing restaurant, even going so far as to open an Atlanta Bread location next door and give away free food if necessary to put him out of business, according to the lawsuit.
