Sydney chef Darren Taylor denies string of alleged offences
Award-winning chef Darren Taylor has appeared in a Sydney court after being charged with multiple offences, including sexually touching another person without consent.
Police & Courts
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An award-winning chef from Sydney’s eastern suburbs is denying a string of charges against him including sexually touching an alleged victim.
Darren Taylor, 60, of Paddington, appeared at the Downing Centre Local Court on Wednesday after being charged with multiple offences, including sexually touching another person without consent.
Taylor is well-known among Sydney’s culinary community. Last year, he posed in a photograph with Arts Minister Don Harwin to celebrate Bastille Day.
He has been executive chef at some of the city’s most prestigious restaurants including Bilson’s, which is now known as Quay, on Sydney Harbour.
Police charged Taylor with multiple offences including sexually touching another person without consent, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and common assault.
The matter was briefly heard yesterday and will return to court for a hearing in November.
“It’s in today to set a hearing day,” Taylor’s defence lawyer Craig Murray told the court.
The court heard there would be multiple witnesses involved in the case and there was no CCTV footage in relation to the charges.
Taylor’s case was also mentioned on July 21 in the same court, where Deputy Registrar Nicole Hoffman confirmed he would be pleading not guilty to the charges.
Outside court on Wednesday, Mr Murray declined to comment about the case and said his client “doesn’t wish to make any comment”.
Taylor runs a catering company called Harvest, which describes itself on its website as “Sydney’s foremost caterer, tailoring superior, creative food experiences for functions and events”.
“(Taylor’s) career spans 40 years, 20 years in catering, encompassing work with some of Australia’s most celebrated chefs, such as Tony Bilson, Armando Percuoco and Anders Ousback,” the website states.
“He also cut his teeth in France at the (three) Michelin-starred Troisgros, learning to master the best French cuisine under Michel and Pierre Troisgros.”