A luxury hotel in Biarritz (southwest France) fired its Michelin-starred chef due to a "worrying incident," the Hyatt group, which manages the place, told AFP on Thursday.
According to the local press, the dismissal was due to "a humiliating hazing" that took place on December 2.
That day, a young man was tied for several hours in a chair naked, with an apple in his mouth and a carrot on his buttocks, according to the newspaper Sud Ouest.
The Bayonne prosecutor's office informed AFP of the opening of a preliminary investigation into that violent scene that occurred at the Palace Hotel (Du Palais), in the presence of chef Aurélien Largeau, 31, and his kitchen team.
The images of the events had been recorded and spread on social networks by the cooks themselves, before being deleted.
The Palace Hotel has five stars and Largeau, decorated with a Michelin star, has run its restaurant since 2020.
"The management of the Palace Hotel is aware of the worrying incident that took place on the premises of the hotel and of which images were circulated," an official from the American multinational Hyatt told AFP.
Chef Aurélien Largeau "formally denied the accusations" made against him and indicated that he was preparing his defense with his lawyers.
Contacted about this incident, the Biarritz City Council, the main shareholder of the luxurious hotel, preferred not to comment.
