The Hôtel du Palais in Biarritz recently reopened following a refurbishment (Picture: AFP via Getty Images)
A kitchen hand at a Michelin-starred restaurant in France was reportedly left tied up and naked for hours while he was assaulted with a carrot in a warped hazing ceremony.
The luxury Hôtel du Palais in Biarritz said its star chef Aurélien Largeau had abruptly stepped down from his role in charge of the kitchen last week.
Regional daily newspaper Sud Ouest said footage of the incident, which was posted online, showed Mr Largeau, 31, among the staff looking on as the man was humiliated.
In the video, the kitchen assistant is allegedly stripped and bound to a chair for a number of hours with an apple in his mouth and a carrot in his anus.
The news site said the incident took place ‘under the authority, and in the presence, of chef Aurélien Largeau’.
A spokeswoman for Hyatt, the owners of the prestigious hotel, said the management had been informed of a ‘troubling incident’.
She gave no further detail on the images, beyond saying they had been distributed online.
A preliminary investigation into charges of sexual assault and violence has been opened by the Bayonne public prosecutor’s office.
The hotel’s restaurant was being run under the name La Table d’Aurélien Largeau (Photo by Franck FIFE / AFP) (Picture: AFP via Getty Images)
Hazing is banned under French law, but there have been reports of the practice continuing in some of the country’s kitchens where it is sometimes defended as a test of how well new starts can handle the pressure of the job.
Speaking to news outlet BFMTV, Mr Largeau said the allegations were ‘defamatory and false’, describing them as a ‘monstrous attack’ on his ‘excellent teams’.
The Hyatt spokeswoman said: ‘This incident does not reflect the values that we defend.
‘We have undertaken an investigation and taken the appropriate decisions.’
She added: ‘The safety, health and well-being of our colleagues, clients and partners are absolute priorities for us.’
The five-star Hôtel du Palais was originally built in 1854, and it is regarded as an icon of the popular south-western tourist spot of Biarritz.
Over the years, it has welcomed guests including King Edward VII, Frank Sinatra and Coco Chanel.
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