The case dates back to 2015.
Published: Fri 3 May 2019, 12:00 AM
Updated: Sat 4 May 2019, 10:54 AM
Turkish celebrity chef Salt Bae has been slapped a fine of 35,000 Turkish lira and five years' supervision for threatening to kill one of his former employees in 2015.
Chef Salt Bae, whose real name is Nusret Gokce, 'verbally assaulted' Ali Ihsan Kandil who used to work at one of Gokce's restaurants in Istanbul. The celebrity chef got furious after Kandil sat female customers at the same table as male customers.
Revealing that Gokce never apologised to him, Kandil said, "I got involved in a case which had nothing to do with me. I had to go to court. I won the case with 35,000 Turkish lira but they still haven't paid me. During the court process I could not find a job. In three years I had to work in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Moscow," reported Daily Mail.
Now, the Istanbul 23 Penal Court of First Instance has ruled in Kandil's favour and handed out a fine of 35,000 Turkish lira and 5 years of 'supervised liberty' which will mean regular checks by police. However, as chef Salt Bae has restaurants in international locations, it is unclear how this will affect his international travel.
Gokce owns a chain of Nusr-Et restaurants and is known as Salt Bae for his theatrical, cobra-like style of sprinkling salt on his steaks. He went viral in 2017 after posting videos of himself salting meat and now has over 21 million Instagram followers and his restaurants in the Middle East, New York and Miami charge several hundred dollars for some cuts of meat.
Last September, four tourists were seriously injured after a flame stunt went wrong at one of his restaurant's in Istanbul.