Alfons Schuhbeck faces more than three years in prison. But he is certain of the solidarity of the Munich chic crowd. In his adventure restaurant "Teatro" the star chef is celebrated by her. However, the weight on his shoulders is clearly visible.
The performance does not seem to be easy for him: Alfons Schuhbeck looks terribly exhausted when he enters the stage in Munich's "Teatro" on Thursday evening, which until recently also bore his name. He does sing Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline" and "good times". But his red eyes show that the times for the 73-year-old are anything but that.
Especially when he intones Elvis Presley's "I can't help falling in love", it gets melancholic in the colorful theater tent. Some guests have tears in their eyes. And the jokes of the former star chef, who otherwise knew how to be so jovial, engaging, self-confident and quick-witted, sometimes seem just as tired as his eyes.
"I drink two schnapps," he says after his performance. "The last two weeks haven't been that great for me." Because Schuhbeck is no longer the spotless radiant man in the white cooking vest, no longer the unreservedly celebrated favorite of Munich's chic crowd, whose restaurants were eaten by those who were self-respecting. He is now a convicted felon - albeit not a final convict.
Shortly before his appearance at the dinner show in the colorful tent at the Munich exhibition center, Schuhbeck filed an appeal against the judgment of the Munich I Regional Court, which imposed him a week ago for tax evasion of more than 2.3 million euros for three years and two months in detention wanted to send.
"Alfons Schuhbeck stands by his guilt, but wants to be able to understand the sentence on the basis of the written reasons for the judgement," his lawyers announced shortly before the deadline - surprising for many trial observers.
"Should the written reasons support the district court's verdict, I will ask my lawyers to withdraw the appeal in case of doubt," the lawyers quote Schuhbeck. "Until then, I will not relax in my efforts to repair the damage as far as possible."
This means that Schuhbeck, who had to file for bankruptcy and who has lost some television engagements since his trial, continues to work, more and more. Even the appearance in the theater tent is work. In the meantime, the "Teatro" has published "general information" on its website: "The teatro is not the subject of the Alfons Schuhbeck trial," it says. Nevertheless, he is celebrated that evening - by employees, friends, and the audience.
"We have been friends for five decades and we will remain so," says hit star Marianne Hartl, known together with her husband as Duo Marianne
"Everyone makes shit sometimes," says Simone Mecky-Ballack, ex-wife of former soccer player Michael Ballack. "And that's just a bit more shit now." Nevertheless, she wanted to support him that evening, when Schuhbeck himself was supposed to appear later. "Humanly he is still Alfons."
Outside the "Teatro" tent there is still a large poster with Schuhbeck in a pristine white chef's jacket with a beaming smile. "The show must go on" is written on it.
