George Calombaris determined to shake ‘wage thief’ tag and get back to serving the community

Celebrity chef George Calombaris sat down with A Current Affair this week to discuss how he is determined to shake the tag of ‘wage thief’ from his resume.

The former Master Chef landed in hot water seven years ago, when he was found to have underpaid staff, owing them millions in unpaid wages.

Calombaris lost his house, his reputation, TV gig and more as his name was raked through the mud.

The chef self-reported the discrepancies and paid back $7.8 million in wages and his business entered administration.

"I only knew high, I only knew how to be at the top and then, suddenly, overnight bang! And it was a big reality check," Calombaris said.

"Deep down I look at it spiritually and go - it was probably a lesson I needed."

He is now ready for redemption and as reported has a spring back in his step.

Calombaris said he still has "a lot of work to do on (himself)", but he's ready to "get back up and have another crack".

"You can take whatever you want away from me, house, cars, money whatever," Calombaris said.

"But there's one thing you can never take away - I'm a chef at heart, that's who I am.

"At its core, I'm still George, I'm still the cook and I love it, I love it."

The one thing he wants to change as much as anything is the wage thief tag. He said he is not a thief and never intentionally sought to steal from his staff.

Calombaris is now looking forward to serving the community once again with The Hellenic House project and pushing Aussie produce as a part owner in Australian Life magazine.

His other lesson: never let the truth get in the way of a good story.

Jonathan Jackson, 17^th September 2024