“Humiliating hazing,” as recounted South West or “little joke between friends”, as affirmed on the microphone of France Bleu Lucas, this young kitchen assistant from the starred restaurant of the Hôtel du Palais whose chef was fired after the revelation of the degrading treatment reserved for the young apprentice? It is difficult for the moment to see clearly, especially since the Bayonne public prosecutor’s office, in the absence of a complaint filed, has taken the initiative of opening a preliminary investigation. 20 minutes takes stock of this twist story revealed this Wednesday but the facts of which date back to December 2.
What would have happened in the kitchen?
According to the newspaper South West, Lucas would have been tied naked to a chair for long hours, with a carrot in his buttocks and an apple in his mouth. Facts which allegedly occurred on the morning of December in the kitchen, in the presence of star chef Aurélien Largeau and members of the brigade of this luxury restaurant where around thirty people work. To advance its claims, the newspaper relies on “several testimonies collected” and “images shared on social networks”. Images which have since been deleted but on which the young man was filmed in this humiliating position.
What are the reactions of the chef and the establishment?
Aurélien Largeau, recruited in 2020 by the five-star hotel and awarded a star in the “Michelin Guide” since last year, reacted this Thursday on France Bleu Pays basque. The 31-year-old chef first “formally denied the allegations made to [s] we encounter” and affirmed that “the facts reported do not in any way reflect reality”. The one who had to leave the kitchens of the Hôtel du Palais on December 21 said he was “devastated by the attacks on [s] we image and [s] we honor” and assures that his lawyers are taking care of “stopping the defamation”.
For its part, the luxurious establishment owned by the Hyatt group declared that “the management of the Palais hotel is informed of the worrying incident which took place on the premises of the hotel and of the images which have circulated”. “An investigation was carried out and the appropriate decisions were made,” continued a Hyatt group manager without further comment.
What is the young clerk’s version of the facts?
Lucas, who was in charge of sauces and garnishes in the kitchens of the Hôtel du Palais, spoke this Friday on France Bleu Pays basque. If he has since left Biarritz for a Parisian establishment, the cook assures firstly that this departure guided by “a professional choice” was done of his “free will”.
The young man then explained that everything that is being said “does not reflect in any way what may have happened”. “People talk about me with a carrot in my ass and an apple in my mouth, but that’s not true.” Lucas, who says he is harassed on the networks, simply refers to “a little joke between friends [qui] took on enormous media proportions.”
Concerning the videos, the kitchen assistant also denies that they were published: “I don’t even know which photo we are talking about. I did not receive anything. And besides, on social networks, there is nothing that has been published.”