Former celebrity chef George Calombaris has spoken out about his drinking problem that arose after he was caught underpaying staff in a wage scandal.

The scandal caused him to lose his position as a judge on MasterChef Australia and ultimately led to the downfall of his company.

In an interview held last Sunday, the 44-year-old chef said he was ‘drinking a lot to deal with the pain’ of losing his company to liquidators in 2020. This resulted from being ordered to repay $7.8 million in unpaid wages to 515 current and former members of his staff.

‘There were months of tears, anger, and I was drinking a lot to take away the pain, but then I snapped out of it and went “no”,’ he shared.

George seemed to recover from his drinking problem quickly. Credit: gcalombaris/Instagram

He admitted he thought he was ‘invincible’ amid the scandal.

‘I thought I could get through anything I could do everything because I was taught as a young kid never say you’re tired and work bloody hard, just get on with it.’,’ he explained.

George stated he ‘probably needed good management’ as soon as he became a television celebrity chef.

MADE Establishment, which was made up of 22 companies, was shut down after being ordered by the Fair Work Ombudsman to pay workers millions in unpaid penalty rates.

George was also hit with a $200,000 fine following the scandal but had always insisted that the underpayments were a mistake he blamed on inexperience.

He explained that the payment error was discovered after the company’s self-audit report, but the publicity that followed made it ‘impossible’ to keep the business alive.

It didn’t help that he was later caught on camera attacking a 19-year-old during an A-League grand final between Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory. He was convicted of assault, and fined $1,000, but ultimately, further damaged his reputation.

George announced the downfall of his company on Instagram. Credit: gcalombaris/Instagram

George eventually relocated his family to Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula in March 2020 to work on his problems privately.

A full timeline of events is as follows:

• May 2014 – The Department of Health investigated the Hellenic Republic at Kew after diners fell ill. It was later confirmed that norovirus affected about 100 people.
• April 2017 – It was revealed about $2.6 million in back payments were dished out to 162 workers employed by MADE Establishment because of payroll 'discrepancies' dating back to 2011.
• May 2017 – George was charged with assault over a fight with a 19-year-old who heckled him about the wage scandal at an A-League grand final in Sydney. That same month, a man from Melbourne sued the Hellenic Republic restaurant and MADE Establishment group over the norovirus encephalitis outbreak.
• August 2017 – The chef pleaded guilty to assault over the A-League incident.
• October 2017 – George was fined $1,000 for the A-League assault.
• February 2018 – The assault conviction was overturned on appeal after a District Court judge agreed with George’s lawyer that he had suffered significant financial and personal loss, and was unlikely to re-offend.
• July 2019 – The Fair Work Ombudsman fined him and MADE Establishment $200,000 for underpaying staff at his restaurants by nearly $8 million.
• February 2020 – MADE Establishment fell into voluntary administration.
• Early June 2020 – The Yo Chi Frozen Yoghurt chain owned by George Calombaris is told off, marking the end of the celebrity chef's restaurant empire.

The chef now works as the Culinary Director for a luxury beachside venue, Hotel Sorrento. George.

You can watch his full interview below:

​

Key Takeaways

• Former celebrity chef George Calombaris has spoken out about being caught underpaying staff in a wage scandal.
• The former MasterChef judge lost his hospitality company MADE Establishment to liquidators in 2020 after being ordered to repay $7.8 million in unpaid wages to 515 current and former members of staff.
• During an interview last Sunday, the 44-year-old said he drank a lot to ‘deal with the pain' after hitting rock bottom.

What can you say about this, members? Share with us your thoughts in the comments below!

 

[Starkey]

The man was knowingly a wage thief , yes he may have reimbursed those he stole from, that does not make up for harm he caused others while living the high life

Sympathy for him
Zilch,
people like him exploit others and are a wart on the nose of society

 

[Ricci]

Anyone can make a mistake......once. To continue to make the same errors (just because he got away with it?) is indefensible. That he was living high on the hog off the backs of his employees is also indefensible and yes, he should hang his head in shame. Restitution may have been made to his ex-employees but I bet he didn't pay interest on the amounts outstanding.

 

[JayKay]

You can't repay the heartache and sense of injustice he caused to those he stole from.

 

[ShannyN]

Anyone other than a TV celebrity would've been gaoled for years and banned from ever doing anything in the hospitality industry, you must remember that this same little grub was pushing for no penalty rates for Sunday overtime etc so he could further rip off and exploit staff and increase his profit margin, greedy sod

 

[Shane O'Neill]

Former celebrity chef George Calombaris has spoken out about his drinking problem that arose after he was caught underpaying staff in a wage scandal.

The scandal caused him to lose his position as a judge on MasterChef Australia and ultimately led to the downfall of his company.

In an interview held last Sunday, the 44-year-old chef said he was ‘drinking a lot to deal with the pain’ of losing his company to liquidators in 2020. This resulted from being ordered to repay $7.8 million in unpaid wages to 515 current and former members of his staff.

‘There were months of tears, anger, and I was drinking a lot to take away the pain, but then I snapped out of it and went “no”,’ he shared.

View attachment 9715

George seemed to recover from his drinking problem quickly. Credit: gcalombaris/Instagram

He admitted he thought he was ‘invincible’ amid the scandal.

‘I thought I could get through anything I could do everything because I was taught as a young kid never say you’re tired and work bloody hard, just get on with it.’,’ he explained.

George stated he ‘probably needed good management’ as soon as he became a television celebrity chef.

MADE Establishment, which was made up of 22 companies, was shut down after being ordered by the Fair Work Ombudsman to pay workers millions in unpaid penalty rates.

George was also hit with a $200,000 fine following the scandal but had always insisted that the underpayments were a mistake he blamed on inexperience.

He explained that the payment error was discovered after the company’s self-audit report, but the publicity that followed made it ‘impossible’ to keep the business alive.

It didn’t help that he was later caught on camera attacking a 19-year-old during an A-League grand final between Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory. He was convicted of assault, and fined $1,000, but ultimately, further damaged his reputation.

View attachment 9716

George announced the downfall of his company on Instagram. Credit: gcalombaris/Instagram

George eventually relocated his family to Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula in March 2020 to work on his problems privately.

A full timeline of events is as follows:

• May 2014 – The Department of Health investigated the Hellenic Republic at Kew after diners fell ill. It was later confirmed that norovirus affected about 100 people.
• April 2017 – It was revealed about $2.6 million in back payments were dished out to 162 workers employed by MADE Establishment because of payroll 'discrepancies' dating back to 2011.
• May 2017 – George was charged with assault over a fight with a 19-year-old who heckled him about the wage scandal at an A-League grand final in Sydney. That same month, a man from Melbourne sued the Hellenic Republic restaurant and MADE Establishment group over the norovirus encephalitis outbreak.
• August 2017 – The chef pleaded guilty to assault over the A-League incident.
• October 2017 – George was fined $1,000 for the A-League assault.
• February 2018 – The assault conviction was overturned on appeal after a District Court judge agreed with George’s lawyer that he had suffered significant financial and personal loss, and was unlikely to re-offend.
• July 2019 – The Fair Work Ombudsman fined him and MADE Establishment $200,000 for underpaying staff at his restaurants by nearly $8 million.
• February 2020 – MADE Establishment fell into voluntary administration.
• Early June 2020 – The Yo Chi Frozen Yoghurt chain owned by George Calombaris is told off, marking the end of the celebrity chef's restaurant empire.

The chef now works as the Culinary Director for a luxury beachside venue, Hotel Sorrento. George.

You can watch his full interview below:

​

Key Takeaways

• Former celebrity chef George Calombaris has spoken out about being caught underpaying staff in a wage scandal.
• The former MasterChef judge lost his hospitality company MADE Establishment to liquidators in 2020 after being ordered to repay $7.8 million in unpaid wages to 515 current and former members of staff.
• During an interview last Sunday, the 44-year-old said he drank a lot to ‘deal with the pain' after hitting rock bottom.

What can you say about this, members? Share with us your thoughts in the comments below!

Wage theft is out there and should never be tolerated this is why there are eba 's and minimum wages not to pay the right rate, overtime, superannuation etc it's theft and companies should be dealt with larger fines $200,000 fine for a multi million enterprise is peanuts

 

[ShannyN]

Wage theft is out there and should never be tolerated this is why there are eba 's and minimum wages not to pay the right rate, overtime, superannuation etc it's theft and companies should be dealt with larger fines $200,000 fine for a multi million enterprise is peanuts

Company directors/CEO's should be faced with mandatory Gaol sentences, that way companies registered to family members as mums, sisters etc all get their butt kicked and pay the price

 

[TomDevine55]

I have no problem with George hitting rock bottom and using, it really shows his lack of character and courage after he was found doing the wrong thing by his employees. Perhaps he wont be as smug and think he is better than everyone else and this will make him a better person.

 

[Suzanne rose]

He was only sorry because he got caught.
I can't see how it went on for so many years .
When you have one business you have an account as if you would have that many business and not have an account who does the wages . A legitimate account knows payroll tax, superannuation, overtime ect so there is no excuse !

It's a wonder he even paid his taxes.

 

[Macarj]

No sympathy he should have paid the right wages as a business it is not difficult to find out what the correct wage is to pay an employee

 

[Macarj]

Anyone can make a mistake......once. To continue to make the same errors (just because he got away with it?) is indefensible. That he was living high on the hog off the backs of his employees is also indefensible and yes, he should hang his head in shame. Restitution may have been made to his ex-employees but I bet he didn't pay interest on the amounts outstanding.

I don't think there was any mistake he knew what he was doing

 

[Ricci]

I don't think there was any mistake he knew what he was doing

I was prepared to give him the benefit of doubt.

 

[Linwar]

The man was knowingly a wage thief , yes he may have reimbursed those he stole from, that does not make up for harm he caused others while living the high life

Sympathy for him
Zilch,
people like him exploit others and are a wart on the nose of society

He was living the high life, whilst the people on the lowest wage were being ripped off. I have no sympathy for a thief who cries poor. He also shows the public that behind the scenes he was drinking, poor man, probably $150 a bottle, nope no sympathy here.

 

[Sloopy]

Strange that we never seem to hear about "payroll discrepancies" benefiting employees on a large scale...

 

[Penny4]

Man ... no shame with getting caught! I always wondered what happened to him.
Apart from ripping those out of luck employees doing their darn best to keep his business going, he was making his customers ill due to lack of OH&S.
Deplorable behaviour & work ethics!

 

[JedCorella]

To start with I am NOT condoning wage theft by any means as I've been a victim of it myself in the past. Having said that how may here have had their own businesses? It's not a picnic and the government puts every hurdle in front of you that they can. Fart out of tune and they are there to 'get' you. Unless you are a big business and can afford to pay 'creative' accountants and bribes to the appropriate people it is a struggle. You also have to deal with the large companies that don't pay their invoices on time and stretch out paying for 120 days or more. Qantas was the worst paying client I ever had and I ended up refusing to do their work.The whole system is as corrupt as hell and it starts at the top!

 

[Ricci]

To start with I am NOT condoning wage theft by any means as I've been a victim of it myself in the past. Having said that how may here have had their own businesses? It's not a picnic and the government puts every hurdle in front of you that they can. Fart out of tune and they are there to 'get' you. Unless you are a big business and can afford to pay 'creative' accountants and bribes to the appropriate people it is a struggle. You also have to deal with the large companies that don't pay their invoices on time and stretch out paying for 120 days or more. Qantas was the worst paying client I ever had and I ended up refusing to do their work.The whole system is as corrupt as hell and it starts at the top!

Whilst I agree with a lot of the points you make I would point out that GC was in the position of selling food. This is always paid for at the time of consumption so he never had to wait for payments.
I have seen business from both sides, I had my own business for several years and the one thing you have to get absolutely right is your employees' wages. You need them on your side and they are the face of your business to the wider community. Do right by them and they will go above and beyond. It's not as if there's not the help there, all you have to do is ask. A good Accountant is also a must, they would help and point out any discrepancies. Being in business is not an easy path to riches as GC seemed to think, it's damned hard work and many sleepless nights, the reward should be its success.

 

[JedCorella]

Whilst I agree with a lot of the points you make I would point out that GC was in the position of selling food. This is always paid for at the time of consumption so he never had to wait for payments.
I have seen business from both sides, I had my own business for several years and the one thing you have to get absolutely right is your employees' wages. You need them on your side and they are the face of your business to the wider community. Do right by them and they will go above and beyond. It's not as if there's not the help there, all you have to do is ask. A good Accountant is also a must, they would help and point out any discrepancies. Being in business is not an easy path to riches as GC seemed to think, it's damned hard work and many sleepless nights, the reward should be its success.

You are right. He basically had a cash business. I had a Pty Ltd Company for over 20 years and I agree 100% that your employees are the heart of a business. I put in place a profit sharing arrangement for employees that were with the company for more that 18 months. I was also very selective with employing staff. I had little absenteeism because I paid any unused sick days out as part of an end of year bonus. As a result I had a stable, reliable workforce that was loyal.
Owning a small business is not about making a lot of money. It is a lifestyle and success is a reward for lots of hard work, stress and risk.

 

[IAN3005]

Former celebrity chef George Calombaris has spoken out about his drinking problem that arose after he was caught underpaying staff in a wage scandal.

The scandal caused him to lose his position as a judge on MasterChef Australia and ultimately led to the downfall of his company.

In an interview held last Sunday, the 44-year-old chef said he was ‘drinking a lot to deal with the pain’ of losing his company to liquidators in 2020. This resulted from being ordered to repay $7.8 million in unpaid wages to 515 current and former members of his staff.

‘There were months of tears, anger, and I was drinking a lot to take away the pain, but then I snapped out of it and went “no”,’ he shared.

View attachment 9715

George seemed to recover from his drinking problem quickly. Credit: gcalombaris/Instagram

He admitted he thought he was ‘invincible’ amid the scandal.

‘I thought I could get through anything I could do everything because I was taught as a young kid never say you’re tired and work bloody hard, just get on with it.’,’ he explained.

George stated he ‘probably needed good management’ as soon as he became a television celebrity chef.

MADE Establishment, which was made up of 22 companies, was shut down after being ordered by the Fair Work Ombudsman to pay workers millions in unpaid penalty rates.

George was also hit with a $200,000 fine following the scandal but had always insisted that the underpayments were a mistake he blamed on inexperience.

He explained that the payment error was discovered after the company’s self-audit report, but the publicity that followed made it ‘impossible’ to keep the business alive.

It didn’t help that he was later caught on camera attacking a 19-year-old during an A-League grand final between Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory. He was convicted of assault, and fined $1,000, but ultimately, further damaged his reputation.

View attachment 9716

George announced the downfall of his company on Instagram. Credit: gcalombaris/Instagram

George eventually relocated his family to Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula in March 2020 to work on his problems privately.

A full timeline of events is as follows:

• May 2014 – The Department of Health investigated the Hellenic Republic at Kew after diners fell ill. It was later confirmed that norovirus affected about 100 people.
• April 2017 – It was revealed about $2.6 million in back payments were dished out to 162 workers employed by MADE Establishment because of payroll 'discrepancies' dating back to 2011.
• May 2017 – George was charged with assault over a fight with a 19-year-old who heckled him about the wage scandal at an A-League grand final in Sydney. That same month, a man from Melbourne sued the Hellenic Republic restaurant and MADE Establishment group over the norovirus encephalitis outbreak.
• August 2017 – The chef pleaded guilty to assault over the A-League incident.
• October 2017 – George was fined $1,000 for the A-League assault.
• February 2018 – The assault conviction was overturned on appeal after a District Court judge agreed with George’s lawyer that he had suffered significant financial and personal loss, and was unlikely to re-offend.
• July 2019 – The Fair Work Ombudsman fined him and MADE Establishment $200,000 for underpaying staff at his restaurants by nearly $8 million.
• February 2020 – MADE Establishment fell into voluntary administration.
• Early June 2020 – The Yo Chi Frozen Yoghurt chain owned by George Calombaris is told off, marking the end of the celebrity chef's restaurant empire.

The chef now works as the Culinary Director for a luxury beachside venue, Hotel Sorrento. George.

You can watch his full interview below:

​

Key Takeaways

• Former celebrity chef George Calombaris has spoken out about being caught underpaying staff in a wage scandal.
• The former MasterChef judge lost his hospitality company MADE Establishment to liquidators in 2020 after being ordered to repay $7.8 million in unpaid wages to 515 current and former members of staff.
• During an interview last Sunday, the 44-year-old said he drank a lot to ‘deal with the pain' after hitting rock bottom.

What can you say about this, members? Share with us your thoughts in the comments below!

You are right. He basically had a cash business. I had a Pty Ltd Company for over 20 years and I agree 100% that your employees are the heart of a business. I put in place a profit sharing arrangement for employees that were with the company for more that 18 months. I was also very selective with employing staff. I had little absenteeism because I paid any unused sick days out as part of an end of year bonus. As a result I had a stable, reliable workforce that was loyal.
Owning a small business is not about making a lot of money. It is a lifestyle and success is a reward for lots of hard work, stress and risk.

 

[IAN3005]

couldn't have happened to a nicer person.