George Calombaris is the latest celeb to enter the South African jungle on I’m a Celebrity. In the preview, he alluded to the scandal he was embroiled in in recent years. And how now it’s his time to share his side.
The Greek-Australian chef has largely been out of the public eye since the scandal first broke in 2017. But what was that drama?
Let’s dive in.
Who is George Calombaris?
You probably recognise George Calombaris as a former judge of MasterChef Australia for ten years (from 2009 until 2019). However, before that, he was a regular fixture on Ready Steady Cook.
The Greek-Australian chef has a highly decorated career. In 2002, at the age of 24, he won Young Chef of the Year, Best New Restaurant and two chef’s hats in The Age Good Food Guide while working at Reserve in Melbourne. Just two years later, Global Food and Wine Magazine included him in its list of the Top 40 influential chefs in the world.
He also went on to own several restaurants in Melbourne. In 2008, his flagship, The Press Club, won the Best New Restaurant Award, and George was also named Chef of the Year in The Age Good Food Guide. That same year, he opened his first international restaurant in Mykonos, Greece, The Belvedere Club.
In 2009, he became one of the three hosts of MasterChef Australia, alongside Matt Preston and Gary Mehigan.
However, in addition to his restaurants, the chef also published five cookbooks: The Press Club, Hellenic Republic: Greek Cooking from The Hellenic Heart, Your Place or Mine, and Cook With Us, which he wrote with fellow MasterChef Australia judge, Gary Mehigan.
In 2018, George married Natalie Tricarico in Greece. The couple have two children, a son and a daughter.
However, his career took a turn. More on that below…
What’s the scandal with George Calombaris?
George Calombaris’ hospitality company, MAdE Establishment, underpaid a large number of its restaurant employees — failing to pay correct award rates, overtime, penalty rates and allowances. The issue was first discovered after the Fair Work Ombudsman alerted the company to an issue with its payroll system, which resulted in an employee being mispaid. The CEO, Troy McDonagh, then commissioned an independent review, which discovered the mass underpayments. Initially, the figure was $2.6 million; however, by 2019, subsequent reviews increased that to $7.8 million. Over 500 current and former employees were affected by the wage loss.
The company made efforts to rectify the situation. It self-reported the issue and back-paid all owed wages and superannuation. A court-enforceable undertaking with the Fair Work Ombudsman also required MAdE Establishment to pay a $200,000 “contrition” payment to the Australian Government and improve systems to avoid future breaches.
There was also an incident in May 2017. George was charged with assault after an altercation with a member of the public who was allegedly referring to the wage scandal. However, after being convicted, George won an appeal and the charges were dismissed.
In February George went on ABC’s 7.30 and took full responsibility for the scandal, “We owned up, we paid up.”
When Leigh Sales asked George about the toll the scandal had taken on him and the reputation that he’s built for 25 years, George broke down.
“Great restaurants are voted by bums on seats, don’t punish my people. Know that when you come into one of our restaurants, know that when you pay the bill, my people are getting paid and paid correctly.”
George Calombaris’ statement on wage scandal:
In February 2020, George made a statement on his Instagram, apologising for the scandal:
“My dream for MADE Establishment 13 years ago was a vision to create something truly special for all those who entered our restaurants — elite original cuisine, love and care, created alongside a family valued team of whom I have always been incredibly proud.
“Although we have all continued to work tirelessly and overcome the many challenges we have recently experienced, it is with deep sadness and regret that today MADE Establishment has been placed into voluntary administration.
“To all of my team, I truly regret it has come to this. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your loyalty and friendship.
“On a personal note, the last few months have been the most challenging I have ever faced. At this time, while personally devastated, I remain thankful to my family, friends, the MADE team, our loyal and regular customers. I am so sorry all our collective efforts have not proved to be enough. I’m gutted that it’s come to this.
“The one thing I would ask is that you please respect how difficult this is for my team, my family, myself and those close to us and simply allow us to go through this process, which is already deeply affecting us all.”
What has happened since?
The wage scandal significantly affected George Calombaris’ business and public image. Some of his restaurant venues closed, and his hospitality group faced financial strain — compounded further by the COVID-19 pandemic. There were numerous calls, including from the Hospitality Union, for George to be removed as host of MasterChef Australia.
In 2019, he and his fellow judges left the show. However, their exit was officially tied to contract issues.
However, it wasn’t his last appearance on a reality TV show. He took part in the third season of The Masked Singer Australia as the “Duster”. And then he returned to Channel 10 for a new cooking show, Hungry, alongside MasterChef Australia alumna, Sarah Todd.
ABC are rumoured to be reuniting the original MasterChef Australia judges in a yet-untitled culinary program.
And now, of course, he’s headed into the jungle. George spoke openly to his campmates about the scandal, confessing 2018 was the “most horrific year of my life.”
“I do hate talking about it because I don’t want to make it sound like I’m feeling sorry for myself,” he said.
George further shared that after a full audit of the company, conducted by himself and his business partners, that 49 per cent of his 550 employees were unpaid and the remaining had been overpaid. He claimed they were “honest” with Fair Work about the pay discrepancies and paid back all their staff, but the scandal had already damaged his reputation.
“It was carnage. It was the worst time of my life. Because within a day, 30 per cent of my revenue dropped,” George continued.
“It was the most weirdest feeling, you’ve suddenly gone from your phone buzzing all day long, emails, MasterChef, restaurants — to nothing. And you just went, what do I do now? The first couple of months were horrible. I was binge drinking, and then just one day, my best man found me in a bush down the road, literally, and slapped it out of me, and I’ll never forget that moment. I just went, ‘enough’s enough, I’m going to pull my head in’.”
