Michelin-starred chef quits luxury French hotel after alleged naked ‘hazing’ of kitchen staffer

A Michelin-starred French chef has quit his job at a luxury hotel in the elegant seaside resort town of Biarritz, after a kitchen staffer was allegedly tied up naked — with an apple shoved in his mouth and a carrot in his anus as part of a banned hazing ritual.

Aurélien Largeau, 31, left his post at the Hotel du Palais’ celebrated restaurant on Dec. 21, the hotel management confirmed.

A public prosecutor has launched an investigation into claims of sexual assault and violence, although no formal complaint had been filed by the alleged victim.

The story about the suspected hazing was first brought to light this week by the local French-language newspaper Sud-Ouest, which reported that on the morning of Dec. 2, a young kitchen assistant was tied naked to a chair with fruits and vegetables lodged in his orifices.

The worker was said to have been left in this humiliating state for hours in full view of the rest of the 30-person kitchen crew, presided by Chef Largeau.

The alleged kitchen initiation rite, dubbed “bizutage” and officially outlawed in France, was recorded on video and later shared on social media, before being removed, reported the outlet.

Largeau, hailed as a gastronomic wunderkind, has denied the hazing claims as “false and defamatory.”

His attorney, Alexandra Sabbe-Ferri, told the outlet BFMTV that what actually happened in the kitchen was a “joke” organized by the alleged victim himself as part of his going-away party before he left to take a new job in Paris.

“Nothing was imposed on him,” the lawyer claimed, describing the incident as a “good-natured” moment.

The Hyatt Group, which operates the prestigious hotel, has confirmed to media outlets that Largeau left after “a worrying incident on the hotel premises” that a spokesperson said involved “concerning allegations and imagery” that triggered an internal probe.

“This incident does not reflect the values we defend. An investigation has been carried out and the appropriate decisions taken,” Hyatt said in a statement. “The security, health and wellbeing of our colleagues, our customers and our partners are our absolute priority.”

The Post on Friday reached out to the Hyatt Group seeking further comment.

Largeau was hired in 2020 as a chef at the five-star hotel, where rooms cost an average of $445 a night, and in 2022 the restaurant under his leadership won a coveted Michelin star.

In a statement to France Blue radio, the now-unemployed chef wrote in part: “I would like to formally deny the allegations made against me by several media outlets, and state that the facts reported in no way reflect reality.”

He slammed the hazing claims as “an attack on my honor, reporting false and defamatory facts.”

“I would never associate myself with such behavior,” Largeau added.