Root and Bone Chefs Stole $290K From Restaurant, Lawsuit Claims

EAST VILLAGE, NY — The high-profile chef couple behind one of the East Village's poshest restaurants stole nearly $290,o00 from their own restaurant, using the money to fund side projects and apartment upgrades, according to a lawsuit filed against the couple.

Jeff McInnis and Janine Booth, the chefs behind Root & Bone, were slapped with the lawsuit from their business partner and landlord on Tuesday. Richard Freedman claims the couple has hidden the restaurant's financial filings from him and that they've failed to account for $286,000 of the restaurant's money, using much of it to renovate their apartment and invest in separate projects. The New York Post first reported news of the lawsuit on Tuesday. (For more information on this and other neighborhood stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

McInnis and Booth have appeared on the TV show "Top Chef" and have been honored with awards from the James Beard Foundation. They opened the well-reviewed, trendy restaurant on East Third Street in 2014.

The lawsuit claims that the couple poured $136,000 of company money into the the apartment they rent above the restaurant.

Root & Bone did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment from Patch.

In a statement to Eater, McInnis and Booth said their landlord had been misinformed

"We’ve offered to show Mr. Freedman the books and walk him through his questions; we are certain once this is accomplished the lawsuit will disappear," the statement said.

Lead image credit Dave Kotinsky / Stringer / Getty Images Entertainment