EXCLUSIVE
Celebrity chef Opel Khan has broken his silence after his restaurant empire shut down as debt collectors close in and he was accused of wage theft following a rumoured split with his wife.
Khan recently closed his Sydney restaurants including French-themed Metisse and pasta diner Acqua E Farina in Potts Point, as well his Bistronomie diner in Surry Hills.
He confirmed the closures last year, insisting rising wages and soaring food costs meant ‘you just can’t make money’ any longer in Sydney’s hospitality industry.
But it’s now been revealed a string of debt collectors have been trying to track him down at previous addresses listed on company files.
The Fair Work Ombudsman has also launched legal action against Khan and his company over allegations of wage theft affecting some of his restaurant staff.
As well as his work turmoil, a family member alleged to Daily Mail Australia he and his wife Jules separated ‘some time ago’, and had not spoken in over a year.
However, this week the chef made a video call to Daily Mail Australia alongside his wife and insisted the couple are still ‘very much together’.
But he admitted his marriage had been rocked by the claims of an affair after a mystery woman got in touch with Ms Khan and claimed she was his secret lover.
Chef, author and television personality Opel Khan (pictured) closed his restaurants claiming rising food costs made it imposssible to run the businesses at a profit
His wife Jules was contacted by a mystery woman who claimed to be her husband’s mistress
‘A woman contacted my wife claiming to be my mistress,’ he admitted.
‘I was at a dinner with five or six females and a photo was sent to my wife insinuating things.
‘Now people are making up all kinds of rumours that there is a baby on the way. None of this is true.’
He added: ‘People in the Bangladeshi community are against me.’
It is not suggested there is any truth to the claims made against Khan.
The row comes after Khan closed his Opel Group hospitality website in October, telling Good Food he was bowing out of the restaurant sector due to rising food costs.
‘Food costs have gone up 40 per cent, we can’t increase the price we charge customers. Wages are up, interest rates [are up],’ he said at the time.
In May, the chef replaced his upmarket Khanaa restaurant in Surry Hills with Bistronomie, a venue he marketed as hosting affordable eats for the tough times.
But the doors have now closed on the whole empire.
Khan also scrapped plans to open a second Bistronomie outpost in the ill-fated Potts Point venue that previously housed the ex-Gastro Park and Antipodean restaurants.
‘A friend with lots of venues says you just can’t make money at the moment,’ he said as he announced the closures.
‘I’m going to take a little break, but I live and breathe food and wine so don’t count me out doing another restaurant.’
The Opel Group website, which previously displayed Khan’s various restaurants in the Harbour City, now just brings up an error message.
Since his restaurant closures, he’s kept a low profile.
His social media accounts have gone silent in the wake of the turmoil with the last post on his Instagram account – which has three million followers – dating back to November.
It showed the chef tucking into brunch, along with with images of a designer watch and Louis Vuitton boots.
An Instagram reel from 15 weeks ago shows Khan’s hand on his flash Bentley steering wheel, with ‘Opel’s iPhone’ showing on the dashboard, and wearing a $1000 chunky ruthenium Fendi bracelet.
He’s also said to have be a regular at Sydney’s Star casino, and was tagged and pictured on social media at a barber’s shop in Westfield Miranda, in Sydney’s south, on Christmas Eve..
Opel Khan claims tough trading conditions have forced Opel Khan to shut a string of venues, including his latest affordable eatery Bistronomie
Opel Khan is no stranger to designer clothes and cars (pictured) wearing a Fendi bracelet behind the wheel of a Bentley
The pair tied the knot in a Bangladeshi ceremony 28 years ago
The Fair Work Ombudsman has now launched legal action in the Federal Court against Khan and his Metisse Bar and Restaurant Group for allegedly underpaying a cook’s minimum wages, overtime and penalty rates for evening and weekend work.
The cook was also allegedly not paid personal leave entitlements, and didn’t get payment-in-lieu-of-notice and annual leave entitlements when his job was axed.
A beverages supervisor also missed out on his paid annual leave entitlements, the ombudsman alleged, and the company failed to calculate and backpay the workers.
Mr Khan strongly denied the claims and said he paid back both workers and provided receipts for bank transfers. The matter is currently still before the court.
Daily Mail Australia can now reveal he is also being hunted over other alleged outstanding debts.
While debt collectors are unable to get a hold of him, chef Opel Khan went for a haircut in Sydney’s Sutherland Shire on Christmas eve
A current tenant at a former residential rental property where Khan and family once lived at has revealed how unpaid bills have filled his mailbox since moving in.
He said debt collectors have continually turned up on his doorstep looking for Khan over the last 10 months after he moved into the Beecroft home in Sydney’s north.
‘Lots of different people and companies have come here looking for him – about half a dozen since February,’ the tenant said.
‘A lot of different people from different companies want to know where he is.’
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Read more at DailyMail.co.uk