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Restaurants that earn a Michelin star are known for dreaming up innovative dishes that push culinary boundaries and offer diners an experience they’ll never forget. One spot in South Korea attempted to set itself apart by incorporating ants into some of its food, and the chef who owns it could end up landing in jail as a result.
As a general rule, you typically don’t want ants in your kitchen if you’re running a restaurant. However, there are some places that pride themselves on pushing culinary boundaries that actively invite them into the back of house by featuring them in dishes designed to push customers out of their comfort zone.
Insects have been a staple of cultures on multiple continents for millennia, and while many people may instinctively gag at that concept, there’s been a growing movement focused on encouraging eaters to be more open-minded on that particular front while highlighting the environmental benefits of consuming bugs that can be a solid source of protein.
There are also some critically acclaimed restaurants that have drawn praise for dishes that incorporate various critters, like a couple of Mexican spots in New York City: Toloache, which serves tacos filled with grasshoppers imported from Oaxaca, and Cosme, which is known for grinding up ants and incorporating them into sauces.
That second insect was also featured on the menu at a restaurant in South Korea, and it is facing some legal issues as a result.
A chef in South Korea is facing up to a year in jail for incorporating ants into dishes at his restaurant
There aren’t many awards in the culinary world that carry more weight than a Michelin star, an accolade that tends to signify you’re getting something special when you sit down at a restaurant that’s earned at least one (and up to three) of them.
The guide, which can trace its origins back to France at the start of the 20th century, has been rating restaurants in South Korea for the past decade, and as things currently stand, the country is home to 46 that have a star. Mingles in Seoul is the only one that has three, and that city is home to ten more that have been awarded two.
That group includes Evett, which is owned and operated by Joseph Lidgerwood, an Australian chef who hails from Tasmania. He’s had quite a run since opening the restaurant in 2019, but according to the BBC, the parent company of the eatery he oversees has encountered some legal issues stemming from an ingredient he isn’t legally allowed to use.
Lidgerwood is known only as “Chef A” in a case that has been brought forward by South Korean prosecutors, who say Evett broke the law by incorporating ants into a dessert that was served there. They are not one of the 10 species of insect that are approved for consumption under Korean law, and while it is possible to secure a permit for others, it does not appear the restaurant applied for one.
The dish, a sorbet topped with ants (which supposedly impart tartness), came to the attention of local authorities after multiple diners shared pictures on social media. They also assert the ants in question “contained up to 55 times more heavy metals than typical edible insects” after conducting an investigation.
The corporation that owns the restaurant (and an unidentified representative for it) is consequently facing up to a year in jail and a fine of $13,510 after it allegedly imported approximately 49,000 ants from the United States and Thailand over the span of four years. Its attorneys pushed back by noting diners had the option to opt for an alternative (around 60% of people went with the ants) and argued they were only featured in a single dish in a 15-course menu.
An official ruling on the case (and a potential punishment) is still pending, and a sentencing hearing concerning the case is currently scheduled for September 2nd.