Just How Nefarious Is Bjorn van der Horst, "Celebrity Chef"?

As The New York Post gleefully reports, "celeb chef" Bjorn van der Horst was arrested yesterday for failing to pay child support. The UK-based chef owes his kid and his ex-wife, Yael Bizouati $98,000 in child support. This raises a couple of questions. One of the big 'uns is: Who the fuck is Bjorn van der Horst? And how nefarious is he?

First of all, is he a celebrity chef?

Well, Bjorn van der Horst did, in fact, once work with Gordon Ramsay at a place called La Noisette in London. But that was back in 2006 and the place closed in 2008. He also staged at a number of very distinguished restaurants, including Joel Robuchon in Paris, and Alain Ducasse's Louis XV in Monaco. He was also the head chef at Terrance Brennan's Picholine in New York. But he never had a television show and appeared in print rarely and in articles about his restaurants. So, no. He's not a celebrity chef.

So another question: Does he, as the Post claims, "operate the high-end Eastside Inn in London" which "allegedly hauls in more than $15,000 a week"? Also, no. The Eastside Inn closed back in September.

A third question: Why is his wife, (cute) financial journalist Yael Bizuoati obsessed with calling things "financial porn." Check out her Twitter feed.

Finally, and most importantly, why is the Post writing about this?

· Celeb Chef in Hot Water [NYP]
· All Chef Crime Coverage on Eater [-E-]

Bjorn van der Horst. [Photo: Eastside Inn]