Owner of Michelin-Starred Restaurant in South Korea Faces Jail Over Ant-Topped Desserts
Prosecutors say the restaurant made about 12,000 ant-topped sales worth 120 million won over nearly four years.
- Seoul prosecutors requested a one-year prison term for the anonymous owner of a South Korean Michelin-starred restaurant on Monday for violating food safety regulations, also seeking a 20 million won fine from Seoul Western District Court, Newsis reported.
- Authorities launched their probe last year after discovering the eatery served forbidden insects imported from Thailand. Under South Korean law, only 10 insect species are approved for human consumption, including grasshoppers and mealworm larvae.
- The chef garnished sorbet with 'three to five' ants 'to add a sour taste,' generating around 12,000 sales worth 120 million won over four years until January 2025. One evidence photograph showed a can labelled 'Cuisine Black Ants'.
- During the hearing, the defendant apologized, saying "I apologise for this incident, which arose from my failure to fully understand the relevant regulations." Defense lawyers argued customers had consented to the ant-topped confections in advance.
- Judgment from the Seoul Western District Court is expected in early September, concluding proceedings against the restaurant that held two Michelin stars despite the unauthorized insect violations.
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124 Articles
The restaurant claims that they only added them to a small portion of the dish.
Social media posts from guests brought down the Michelin-starred restaurant.
New York Post
Fox NewsMichelin-starred chef facing jail after allegedly serving nearly 50,000 ants to diners
The owner of a Michelin-starred restaurant in South Korea is facing up to a year in jail and a fine of roughly $13,510 after the eatery allegedly served ants atop its sorbets.
Michelin Chef Facing Jail in South Korea for the Crime of ... Serving Ants on Sorbet
Truly, you learn something every day in this gig: Did you know that it is not only illegal to serve diners ants in South Korea, but really quite illegal, to the point that they’ll throw your ass in jail over it? Turns out, that is indeed the case: Korean prosecutors recently sought a year long jail term for the owner of a restaurant with not one but two Michelin stars, after he was found to have been serving ants as a dessert garnish on bowls of…
Ants in dessert are already a challenge. A restaurant served the "speciality" and tapped into a government trap.
A whole controversy exists in South Korea, after charges were filed against the owners of a luxurious and renowned restaurant for serving a dessert with ants for years. It turns out that, in addition to being banned the consumption of the said insect in the Asian country, the species used have “up to 55 ... Continue reading “Super Korean chefs risk jail for serving dessert with toxic ants “to give an acid touch”" The post Super Korean chefs risk…
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