A young half-head chef at the Hôtel du Palais in Biarritz is at the heart of a case of alleged hazing. On Friday, he denied having been the victim of anything.
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“It was a little joke between friends”, Lucas said on Friday December 29 to France Bleu Pays Basque, while the Hôtel du Palais, in Biarritz in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, where he worked has been at the heart of accusations of hazing for several days. For his first testimony to the media, the former employee of the kitchens of the Hôtel du Palais denied the accusations of hazing, which occurred on December 2, but also deplored the dismissal on December 21 of his superior, the starred chef Aurélien Largeau. The latter had also denied any hazing at the microphone of France Blue Basque Country.
No complaint had been filed, but the Bayonne prosecutor’s office had taken up this matter, revealed by the daily South West, which tarnished the reputation of one of the most famous hotel establishments on the Basque coast. A “seizure of initiative”had confirmed the Bayonne public prosecutor to France Bleu Pays Basque, in order to open a preliminary investigation for sexual assault and violence.
Of the “pictures” of a “concerning incident that took place on the hotel premises” have “circulated” on social networks, indicated the Hyatt group which manages the site. Questioned on this point, the young cook “I don’t even know what photo we’re talking about (…) And besides, on social networks, nothing has been published”, he said. However, since this affair, Lucas claims to be a victim of cyber-harassment and claims to no longer be able to sleep.
“All I can tell you is that I left of my own free will and that a little joke between friends took on enormous media proportions.”
Lucasin France Bleu Pays Basque
“What is happening now does not in any way reflect what may have happened. I did not get fired, I decided to leave for a career path, because I have been working for Aurélien Largeau for two years and I ‘It’s time I discovered a new cuisine, just to become better’concludes Lucas, the young demi-chef de partie, in charge of sauces and garnishes when he worked in the kitchens of the Hôtel du Palais.