MUNICH: Top German chef Alfons Schuhbeck, who has cooked for prominent figures such as Queen Elizabeth II, Charlie Chaplin and Bayern Munich football players, started his prison sentence for tax evasion on Wednesday, reported German news agency (dpa).
The head of Bavaria’s Landsberg am Lech correctional facility, Monika Groß, confirmed the Michelin-starred chef was now in prison.
Schuhbeck was sentenced to three years and two months last October for tax evasion amounting to millions of euros. In June, Germany’s Federal Court of Justice largely confirmed the sentence.
The court was convinced that Schuhbeck had evaded €2.3 million (US$2.5 million), and according to German law, a prison sentence is almost unavoidable if the amount exceeds €1 million.
The 74-year-old Bavarian is facing the ruins of a long and successful career in fine dining after the conviction and the insolvency of his restaurants.
Schuhbeck received his first Michelin star in 1983. He became known beyond the world of high-end restaurants through various food-related ventures, including television shows and numerous cookbooks.
All that remains are a chain of spice shops, which are managed by the Schuhbecks Company and which have recently been the subject of disputes due to outstanding rent payments.
Shortly before Schuhbeck began his sentence, a job advertisement from the prison where he is to serve his sentence made headlines – it was looking for a new cook.
However, the position could not be filled by prisoners, said the deputy director of the correctional institution when asked.
By the time the application deadline expired a month ago, several interested persons had already applied for the job. – BERNAMA-dpa
