#8 - Juan-Carlos Cruz
The Santa Monica Police Department in California was informed, in the spring of 2010, that a local
homeless man had been solicited to kill someone by former Food Network chef Juan-Carlos Cruz.
A week-long undercover operation was subsequently launched, which led to the arrest of 48-year-old
Cruz on May the 13th. Investigators discovered that the Dominican American television chef had
attempted to orchestrate a murder-for-hire plot that targeted his wife, Jennifer Campbell. Cruz
allegedly approached a total of 3 homeless individuals with the sinister proposition,
requesting that they either slit Campbell’s throat or fatally strangle her in exchange for $1,000.
Further reports detailed how he’d even given one of the men the security code to his apartment
in order to facilitate carrying out the murder. Following his arrest, Cruz’s bail was set at $5
million, although it was later lowered to $2 million. During the course of the
police’s investigation into the matter, detectives uncovered Cruz’ motivation for wanting to have his
wife killed. The couple had been unable to bear a child due to fertility issues and had fruitlessly
spent around $200,000 on medical treatments. Campbell had consequently fallen into a deep
depression, and Cruz allegedly felt that killing her would’ve been a “merciful” way of ending
the emotional suffering she’d been experiencing. In December of 2010, the chef pleaded no contest
to a charge of murder for hire. As part of a plea agreement, he was ordered to pay $1,870 in
restitution and serve 9 years in federal prison. #7 - John Croucher
On October the 8th of 2018, the Holy Trinity church congregation went to the Crewe Arms pub,
in the Northamptonshire village of Hinton-in-the-Hedges, for a harvest dinner.
Following the meal, during which 32 people had reportedly eaten the restaurant’s shepherd’s pie,
an elderly parishioner named Elizabeth Neuman became violently ill. The 92-year-old ultimately
died of gastrointestinal bleeding induced by repeated vomiting. The 31 others who’d had the
shepherd’s pie suffered “unpleasant” bouts of food poisoning themselves. An investigation into the
incident led the authorities to determine that the pub’s head chef, John Croucher, hadn’t properly
prepared the mincemeat used in the shepherd’s pie that evening. Court documents detailed
how the 40-year-old had placed the meat in the fridge overnight after not cooking it adequately.
He then cooked it again the following day and neglected to take its temperature before serving
it to the churchgoers. The chef was arrested and charged with contravening food regulations and,
following a trial at Reading Crown Court, was given a 4-month suspended jail sentence. Croucher
publicly expressed his remorse in the wake of his sentencing, claiming that the “horrible
circumstance” had made him a “better chef”. #6 - Cat Cora
Shortly after 6 pm, on June the 17th of 2012, police in Santa Barbara, California, were called
to the scene of a minor traffic accident that had resulted from a female motorist rear-ending
another vehicle. Upon their arrival, the officers identified the driver responsible for the crash
as celebrity chef Cat Cora. She’d previously been featured as an “Iron Chef” on the show
Iron Chef America and as a co-host of the reality competition series Around the World in 80 Plates.
Law enforcement quickly became suspicious that Cora might’ve been under the influence of alcohol
at the time of the collision. After questioning the chef, she admitted to having had 3 beers at
the Cold Spring Tavern earlier that night. Cora subsequently submitted to a breathalyzer test,
which indicated that her blood alcohol content was .20, more than twice the legal driving limit.
The officers placed her under arrest and she was taken to Santa Barbara’s Sobering House,
a facility where cooperative individuals arrested for a DUI are allowed to sober up before being
released. Cora ultimately pleaded no contest to a charge of driving under the influence,
and was consequently sentenced to 120 days in jail followed by 3 years of probation.
#5 - Sara Horowitz Prominent Texas chef Sara Horowitz,
who appeared on the reality television series Hell’s Kitchen and Best in Smoke,
was taken into police custody on April the 10th of 2013. According to an arrest affidavit,
Horowitz and her boyfriend, El Paso weatherman Mark Mathis, had just returned home from a
trip to Austin when they became embroiled in a heated argument. As tensions escalated, Horowitz
allegedly grabbed a cooler full of food and dumped its contents all over the inside of their vehicle.
As was later reported to investigators, the TV chef then unleashed a barrage of punches and kicks
on Mathis, who consequently sustained several cuts to his face and bruising behind his ear. Horowitz,
whom several media outlets identified as singer Justin Bieber’s personal chef, was initially
arrested in connection to the domestic violence incident. However, her boyfriend ultimately
declined to press charges and she was released. #4 - Michael Chiarello
In the early morning hours of November the 2nd of 2016, celebrity chef Michael Chiarello was
pulled over by law enforcement in Napa County, California. The television host and cookbook
author had been driving his Porsche home from Bottega Ristorante, one of his two California
restaurants, when the traffic stop was initiated. Chiarello was reportedly arrested on suspicion of
driving under the influence and possession of a controlled substance, before being released on
$5,000 bail a few hours later. A statement was subsequently released on Chiarello’s behalf in
which he announced his intentions to “vigorously challenge” the misdemeanor charges being levied
against him. Eight months earlier, in March of 2016, a pair of lawsuits had been filed
against the chef and his restaurant group Gruppo Chiarello, alleging harassment and labor law
violations. The lawsuits, which were litigated by two of Chiarello’s former employees,
accused him of fostering a “hostile and abusive environment” in his restaurants. The harassment
lawsuit had been settled for an undisclosed amount only two days prior to Chiarello’s DUI arrest.
#3 - Carol Kicinski Gluten-free chef Carol Kicinski first
rose to prominence in 2009 when she began doing cooking segments on the WFLA-Tampa Bay's Daytime
television show. A few years later, Kicinski launched the national lifestyle magazine Simply
Gluten Free, which compiled pieces by gluten- and allergen-free writers as well as medical doctors.
In 2018, the nationally syndicated TV chef furthered her lifestyle brand with a line of
gluten-free mineral makeup called Beauté Minerals. Kicinski prominence turned to controversy,
in February of 2022, when she and her partner, Jon Heneghan, were arrested at their home in Dunedin,
Florida. It subsequently emerged that the couple was being charged in connection to their alleged
involvement in the attack on the US Capitol, on January the 6th of 2021. Court records indicated
that the FBI had found GPS tracking data from a mobile device that placed Kicinski and Heneghan
in the Capitol Building on the day of the insurrection. The couple was also
reportedly captured on surveillance video walking through the Capitol’s hallways
and in the Rotunda. Upon being taken into custody, they were charged with four federal offenses,
including entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds. In the immediate aftermath of
Kicinski’s arrest, all references to her were removed from the Simply Gluten Free website.
Today's topic was requested by Instagram follower Jaidereinajones. If you have any
other topics you'd like to learn about, subscribe & let us know in the comments section below or
follow us on Instagram and reach out to us there. #2 - Carmelo Chiaramonte
In September of 2019, the BBC reported that Italian law enforcement officials had arrested
Sicilian TV chef Carmelo Chiaramonte on suspicion of drug trafficking. According to local newspaper
La Sicilia, the police had found two “6 and a half foot tall marijuana plants”
and more than a pound of Indian hemp at the chef’s Trecastagni residence. They also reportedly seized
cannabis-infused wine, olives, coffee, and tuna from the home. Although the authorities
accused 50-year-old Chiaramonte of possessing the substances with the intent of distributing them,
he initially disputed his charges. He claimed to have actually been using the drugs in
experiments as part of an effort to “research new flavors”. It was later reported that Chiaramonte,
who described himself as an “agro-food consultant for third millennium cuisine”,
had been released from custody pending the commencement of his criminal trial.
#1 - Sarma Melngailis New York restauranteur Sarma Melngailis
was the owner and co-founder of two popular raw vegan food establishments, one of which was called
Pure Food and Wine and the other One Lucky Duck. Located in Manhattan's Gramercy Park neighborhood,
the former had been twice listed on New York magazine’s list of Top 100 Restaurants. Melngailis
amassed a considerable social media following as her business ventures continued to grow, and her
burgeoning success led to her making multiple television appearances. She also attracted the
attention of celebrity customers such as Tom Brady and Chelsea Clinton. In January of 2015,
Melngailis’ business became the focus of controversy, when her restaurants’ staff walked
out en masse after not being paid a month’s worth of wages. It marked the second time within a year
that wages had been withheld from the staff and, due to a lack of active workers, both restaurants
had to be temporarily closed. Although they eventually reopened in April of 2015, their
staff walked out yet again due to unpaid wages, and the establishments were then permanently shut
down. It subsequently emerged that the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office had been investigating
Melngailis on suspicion of stealing more than $2 million from her business’ investors. She and her
husband, Anthony Strangis, became fugitives from justice in May of 2015. The couple were eventually
tracked down to a hotel in Sevierville, Tennessee, where they were taken into police custody on fraud
and theft charges. In the wake of their arrests, it was reported that Melngailis had defrauded her
investors and refused to pay her employees at the behest of her husband. Strangis had reportedly
convinced her that he’d make her dog immortal if she did as he requested. The New York City chef
ultimately pleaded guilty to charges of grand larceny, criminal tax fraud, scheme to defraud
and violation of labor laws, and was consequently jailed for about 4 months. She filed for divorce
from Strangis in May of 2018. The unusual scandal associated with Melngailis’ case was documented
in a Netflix series titled Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives, which was released in March of 2022.
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