NEW ORLEANS (AP) — New Orleans celebrity chef John Besh is stepping down from the restaurant group that bears his name after a newspaper reported that 25 current or former employees of the business said they were victims of sexual harassment.

New Orleans media outlets said Besh's departure from the business he co-owns was announced to employees Monday.

The allegations were published Saturday by www.NOLA.com The Times Picayune after an eight-month investigation. Women interviewed said male bosses in the Besh Restaurant Group touched or verbally harassed them and, in a few cases, tried to leverage positions of authority for sex.

Besh acknowledged a sexual relationship with an employee, saying in a written statement to NOLA.comThe Times-Picayune that it was consensual, despite the woman's assertions in an EEOC complaint that she felt pressured.