A celebrity chef who banned vegans from his restaurant has taken a brutal dig against an activist after she gatecrashed his establishment.
John Mountain posted an Instagram profile picture of himself cradling a baby pig with the face of Tash Peterson superimposed on it.
The image came to light after the pair clashed at Mr Mountain’s Perth restaurant Fyre where Ms Peterson led protestors into his venue on Friday night.
Mr Mountain completed his profile with the caption: ‘Once a cook, always a cook.’
Ms Peterson was not amused by the dig on social media as she issued her response on Instagram on Saturday night.
Celebrity chef John Mountain has provocatively posted an Instagram picture of him cradling a baby pig with vegan activist Tash Peterson’s face
John Mountain (pictured left centre) faces off with Tash Peterson (pictured right centre) during the Friday night protest
Mr Mountain announced in June he would no longer be serving vegans for ‘mental health reasons’
‘Once an animal abuser, always an animal abuser?’ she wrote.
‘Even those who mock the abuse and murder of animals now, will one day be vegan including you Johnnie.
‘Not only does he make a mockery of murder by cradling a murder person’s body, he thinks it’s hilarious to put my face on that murder victim.’
Mr Mountain announced in June he would no longer be serving vegans for ‘mental health reasons’ following an altercation with a diner.
Ms Peterson and around a dozen other protesters barged into Fyre with a loud speaker on Friday night to protest the restaurant’s banning of vegans.
Following a heated stand-off the activists were physically manhandled out of the restaurant where staff scuffed with them outside.
Mr Mountain later told Seven News he will be pressing charges against the activists.
To underline he is not backing off, Mr Mountain posted on his Instagram a quote by famous meat-loving chef and food provocateur Anthony Bourdain.
‘Vegetarians, and their Hezbollah-like splinter faction, the vegans … are the enemy of everything good and decent in the human spirit,’ the quote reads from a New Yorker essay Bourdain wrote in 1999.
‘To live life without veal or chicken stock, fish cheeks, sausages, cheese, or organ meats is treasonous.’
Ms Peterson and around a dozen other protesters barged into Fyre with a loud speaker on Friday night to protest the restaurant’s banning of vegans
Ms Peterson was amused by Mountain’s doctored image of a baby pig with her face superimposed
Perth restaurateur Mountain is not holding back in his feud with vegans, also posting this inflammatory quote to his Instagram account
‘Love you Anthony Bourdain, your loss is felt Worldwide in every corner of every kitchen,’ Mr Mountain wrote of the author and TV personality who took his own life in 2018.
There were plenty of negative reactions from self-identified vegans to the Instagram profile picture change and posted quote.
‘Wow what a soulless person you must be johnny,’ wrote one person.
‘Glad to be on the side of justice and the right side of history unlike you Johnnie,’ another commented.
‘Veganism’s winning bald man,’ claimed another commenter.
On Friday Ms Peterson and a dozen other activists played recordings of pigs screaming while being slaughtered before being confronted by Mr Mountain and other staff.
Ms Peter claims she was left with cuts and bruises after the altercation with Mre Mountain.
Video shows her screaming at Mr Mountain: ‘You have blood on your hands!’ Ms Peterson screams at the chef who in return flips her a rude gesture.
‘People are dining in on the flesh of animals who were subjected to abuse and murder,’ Ms Peterson told Channel Seven after being evicted from the premises in Perth’s northern suburbs.
‘I want to take down businesses if they are profiting from the animal holocaust.’
Mr Mountain said that far from hurting his business the ban of vegans, which he announced in a Facebook post a little over a week ago and has attracted worldwide headlines, has seen the restaurant boom.
‘The ridiculous thing about them wanting to close me down is it having the reverse effect,’ he said.
Mountain manhandles one of the vegan protestors out of his Fyre restaurant on Friday night
‘We are now having to slaughter more animals to feed our customers because that is what they want.
‘We’ve tripled our turnover. So thank you so much vegans, I love you!’
Not content to leave it at that he issued a cheeky mock invite to all his herbivore detractors.
‘C’mon down, maybe you can have a bacon butty (sandwich) with me,’ he said.
Despite his defiant front Mr Mountain admitted on Tuesday the controversy had taken its toll with his girlfriend splitting up with him.
‘This week has been a pretty tough week…. it’s been tough on my personal life, in fact it’s ended my relationship so that’s very sad,’ Mr Mountain he told podcast Youth Jam.
‘My partner couldn’t handle it, she just kept breaking down and I thought “well that’s the last thing I need I’ve got enough vegans on my back”.’
He confirmed the ban started with a vegan customer giving him a negative review the Friday before last.
Mr Mountatin said the vegan woman emailed him before visiting Fyre to check if they had options to suit her diet.
On Friday Mountain and his staff clashed with about a dozen vegan activists led by Tash Peterson (pictured centre)
Mr Mountain claims he reassured the woman Fyre served vegetable sides and gnocchi that could be made vegan-friendly.
However, he forgot about her request in the chaos of Saturday night as the restaurant was catering a private party.
The woman sent a private message the following Sunday which Mr Mountain said he took personal offence to.
The celebrity chef, best known for starring on the BBC’s Great British Menu more than a decade ago, followed the exchange with a forthright Facebook post.
‘Sadly All Vegans are now banned from FYRE (for mental health reasons),’ it read.
‘We thank you for your understanding. Xx.’
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