‘King of Bondi’ Maurice Terzini forced out of Icebergs

Maurice Terzini has been forced out of Icebergs Dining Room and Bar and DTL Entertainment, as investors attempt to contain the fallout from allegations that he verbally abused his wife and protected his son while being aware of multiple sexual assault claims against him.

Maurice sold his last remaining shares in Icebergs days before this masthead revealed Terzini had allegedly threatened to destroy his wife Emma Addams. Addams claimed she had tried to stop Maurice continuing his “path of self-destruction”, which she alleges was fuelled by alcohol, substance abuse and growing claims of sexual abuse against his son Sylvester.

Sydney restaurateur Maurice Terzini has sold his last shares in Bondi landmark Icebergs Dining Room and Bar. Credit: Janie Barrett

The restaurateur once hosted Oprah Winfrey, Leonardo DiCaprio and Nigella Lawson at the Bondi institution. Maurice has now been completely forced out of the restaurant he founded more than two decades ago after resigning as a director in March following claims he protected his son, Sylvester, by moving him around his restaurants following multiple sexual assault claims.

There are at least nine alleged victims of Sylvester’s sexual and violent misconduct between 2016 and 2023, which shattered decades-old relationships in the tight-knit restaurant industry. Sylvester has denied the allegations. Maurice described the allegations in March as devastating and said he would never “intentionally ignore violent behaviour or cover up issues within any of my businesses”.

Icebergs is one of more than 20 restaurants that Maurice has operated since he began his career in Melbourne with Caffe e Cucina in 1998 and went on to multimillion-dollar deals with Crown Barangaroo, the Intercontinental Double Bay and Jacksons on George. Maurice sold his last remaining 120 shares on Tuesday. Icebergs directors Deke Miskin and Damien Reed declined to comment.

On Sunday, this masthead and 60 Minutes revealed claims from Addams that Maurice had verbally threatened her.

“You know what, if you f---ing put me under the f---ing barrel, I will f---ing destroy you and me and everything that we know. That is not a threat,” Terzini told Addams. “It’s just a fact.”

Addams also claims Maurice had written off claims of Sylvester’s predatory behaviour, and that Sylvester’s album full of photos of naked or semi-naked women had been kept at Maurice’s house, allegations that Maurice denied.

DTL Entertainment general manager Michael Broome said he was “ropeable” about the allegations against Maurice Terzini and that he was no longer involved in the company, which he served as creative director behind the $20 million Jacksons on George project.

“I want my business partners to be a value add and good people,” he said. “We are in hospitality, in which you need good people. I don’t want anything to do with any of that sort of hospitality.”

A former associate, who asked not to be named due to his position in the industry, said he was glad Maurice’s troubling behaviour was out in the open.

“When he gets what he can from people, he drops them like flies. He did this to me – every time I questioned him on how he carried himself, he turned on me. I don’t know how his current partners tolerated that until now.”

Another business associate, who also asked not to be named due to the ongoing impact of his business dealings with Maurice, said he had been warned of his lack of transparency in business.

“My work is my life and I felt like it was robbed,” he said. “I learnt the hard way, by experience, and I wish that I hadn’t. I feel like the outcome of this [becoming public] will cast a fairly intense shadow over him … I just want to put [my experience with Terzini] behind me.”

Nahji Chu, the founder of Potts Point Vietnamese institution Lady Chu, said she felt for every person affected by the allegations.

However, Chu said Maurice had “played a defining role in shaping Sydney’s hospitality scene” and brought “global flair to our city’s dining and cultural life”.

“I believe in accountability, but I also believe in balance. Trial by media is not justice,” she said.

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