A chef employed at the Root & Bone restaurant in Chesterton is claiming in a federal lawsuit that the owners violated the law by failing to pay him overtime.
Cody Mitchell of Valparaiso filed the civil suit last year against Sauce Holdings, LLC, and Luke Oil, LLC, owners of the restaurant, in U.S. District Court in Hammond. A hearing is scheduled for Thursday.
The suit claims that Mitchell’s rights under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act and Indiana state wage laws were violated by the owners.
Initially hired as a sous chef in December 2023, Mitchell was paid $25.96 per hour for an annual wage of $54,000. He was promoted in February 2025 to the position of Chef de Cuisine, seeing his pay rate increase to $28.25 per hour and $60,000 a year.
The suit contends that the defendants misclassified Mitchell as an overtime-exempt employee.
As a result, Mitchell was not paid time-and-a-half for the many overtime hours he was entitled to, and it was “unreasonable, unjust, improper, not in good faith,” the suit says.
The suit asks for an unspecified amount of overtime wages and compensatory damages, along with attorney fees.
In response to the allegations, the defendant denied that Luke Oil, LLC, and its president, Thomas M. Collins, had anything to do with managing Sauce Holdings, LLC, although they acknowledged that the company was part of the Luke Family of Brands.
Mitchell did have some management responsibilities in determining special dishes and when Happy Hour would be held. It was also pointed out that Mitchell’s responsibilities as chef included managing food costs, managing people and employee training, the defendant’s answer said.
Sauce Holdings, LLC, also disputes that it was required to pay Mitchell overtime for his duties as a sous chef, or Chef de Cuisine, or that his employment was “misclassified.” The defendant’s attorney asks that Mitchell’s claim for back overtime wages and damages be dismissed.
The concept for Root & Bone restaurant was born in New York City in 2013, where the founders Janice Booth and Jeff McInnis opened their first outlet, which specializes in Southern-inspired dishes. The New York City restaurant received recognition from multiple publications for serving the “Best Fried Chicken” in New York City.
Booth and McInnis, who still control the restaurant’s menu offerings, have appeared on the Top Chef show on the Bravo network.
Root & Bone restaurants also operate in Henderson, North Carolina, and Indianapolis, though one in Miami closed in 2024. They moved into the space at 600 Gateway Boulevard in Chesterton, formerly occupied by an Italian restaurant, in late 2023.
Jim Woods is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.