By RICARDO HERRERA. Famous chef, British Mount John “Johnnie”. He has been embroiled in major controversy after he decided to ban vegans from entering his restaurants, something that generated a lot of controversy, to which he reacted with disdain to some who questioned his stance. “I do it for mental health,” he said.

John “Johnnie” Mountain became a celebrity chef after appearing on the BBC’s “Great British Menu”, a series in which the best British chefs compete against each other and are judged by a panel of judges.

Mountain was born in England and has opened multiple restaurants, but has reportedly lived in Australia since 2016 after retiring from television. He opened restaurant Fyre in the suburb of Connolly, Perth, in Western Australia, where he reportedly lived a “quieter” life for many years.

However, the celebrity chef is back in the headlines after he recently “banned” vegans from his restaurant from now on: “Unfortunately, all vegans are banned from Fyre (for mental health reasons). Thank you for your understanding,” he wrote on his restaurant’s Facebook page.

But it doesn’t stop there. Koki, in a statement to Western Australia, wanting to give her version of what happened, pointing out that it all started at the time of making the reservation: “A girl called, asking about vegan options. I told him yes we have a few things but when he got to the appointment I was too busy serving and we got over it, kept attacking us on Facebook.

“The restaurant is not going to last long,” said the woman, something Fyre, also on Facebook, responded to: “Vegans are a minority in the area. We will no longer serve you. Feel free to share your opinion. I hope I never see you again. How immature! You and all your fellow vegans can leave and enjoy your meal elsewhere. Now you are banned,” he replied.

Since then, according to Mountain, the restaurant has been inundated with negative reviews online, though some have also defended its stance. “Seriously vegan shit… I’m done,” he told the Australian outlet. “In the end, that’s not what I want to do, to hell with them.”