PARIS – The family of a Japanese chef who was a rising star in France said he has killed himself after being the target of false sexual assault allegations.
Taku Sekine’s tiny restaurant here, Dersou, was named the best in the country by the Fooding guide in 2016, and his new Asian-fusion eatery, Cheval d’Or, has garnered equally rave reviews.
But, his family said Sekine, 39 – a protege of French superchef Alain Ducasse – “got caught in a violent spiral of depression” after he became the target of “false and malicious gossip” on social media two months ago.
“A brutal campaign of destruction was waged against him,” said the family in a statement sent to AFP late yesterday, adding that it was an attempt to tarnish his standing among his peers, who were warned about “working with him”.
The family said no official complaint was made against the chef, and he was not being investigated by police.
His partner Sarah Berger – the mother of his 2-year-old son – later shared the statement on Instagram.
It also railed against his treatment at the hands of a specialist French gastronomic website, which was not named.
The Atabula website published a long investigation last month into sexual abuse and harassment in top French kitchens, saying “a well-known Japanese chef”, whom it did not name, “could be accused of rape”.
Second top chef accused
Yesterday, hours after Sekine committed suicide, the website carried the testimony of a woman claiming that French celebrity chef Guy Martin had attempted to rape her.
Florence Chatelet Sanchez, who supplies some of France’s top restaurants with high-end produce, said he pinned her against a wall in a small room in one of his restaurants five years ago and tried to strip her.
The two-star Michelin cook, best known for his Le Grand Vefour restaurant here, later denied the allegation, saying it “had no basis”.
Today, Atabula published a justification of its wider inquiry into abuse in the industry, saying Sekine’s name “had come up several times from different sources”.
It said a 25-year-old Canadian woman took to Instagram last month to say he tried to sexually assault her twice while she slept in January last year.
“Several parents whose children worked in the restaurant world have thanked us for raising the subject after the suicides of their sons and and their daughter, who were not able to speak out about their torment,” said reporter Franck Pinay-Rabaroust, who led the probe.
He insisted that the timing of its revelations about Martin hours after Sekine’s death is a “sad coincidence”.
Experts caution that suicides are often the result of multiple factors and complex mental health problems, which can be treated with professional help and advice. – AFP, September 30, 2020
Those facing mental health issues can contact Befrienders or call 03-7627 2929 to seek help.
