Famous Japanese chef Taku Sekine, 39, known for his restaurant in Paris, committed suicide, his family said.
Sekine is said to have taken his own life because he was the target of “false allegations that he was a sexual abuser”.
It is recalled that there were no official charges against Sekine, nor was he the subject of a police investigation. Also, Sekine pleaded not guilty.
During the summer, the culinary world stirred up an Instagram post by a woman who claimed to have been sexually assaulted by an unnamed chef, and women in the industry supported her.
Then, according to AFP, the Atabula website published an article about abuse in the best French restaurants, and they wrote that “the famous Japanese chef could be accused of rape.”
Sekine soon announced that he would do anything to clear his name.
However, his family now announced in a statement that Sekine had been caught in a violent spiral of depression: “The attack on his honor and integrity was fierce. In a depressive process, in which doctors also tried to help, Taku Sekine lost the direction of how to resist this urge. ”
His restaurant Dersou, the world media remind us, was declared the best in France in 2016, and his restaurant Cheval d'Or was also awarded. Sekine cooked with the famous French chef Alain Ducasse in Tokyo.