‘Months of tears’: George Calombaris speaks out

Disgraced chef George Calombaris has revealed he was “drinking a lot to deal with the pain” following the collapse of his business after he was found underpaying staff.

George Calombaris has revealed the pain he went through following the collapse of his business. Picture: The Project

Restaurateur George Calombaris has described the “months of tears” he went through following the collapse of his business after he was caught underpaying staff.

The former MasterChef judge, 44, was ordered to repay $7.8 million in unpaid wages to 515 members of staff in July 2019.

In an interview on Sunday’s Project with host Hamish Macdonald, Calombaris detailed his devastation after the resulting bankruptcy of his company Made Establishment.

“There was months of tears, anger and I was drinking a lot to take away the pain but then I snapped out of it and went, ‘no’,” he said.

He blamed taking on too much with his TV work and growing restaurant business.

“I thought I was invincible,” he said. “I thought I could get through anything I could do everything because I was taught as a young kid never say you’re tired and work bloody hard, just get on with it.

“I probably needed good management as soon as I went on the television.”

George Calombaris opens up to Hamish about the disastrous headlines that saw his restaurant empire close and how he dealt with losing everything.#TheProjectTVpic.twitter.com/GqnfHPenTa

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Calombaris first appeared on TV screens on Ready, Steady, Cookbut then went on to the MasterChef Australia judging panel in 2009.

At the same time, his restaurant empire had expanded to 22 business with hundreds of staff.

However after an internal audit in 2017, Calombaris’s company confessed to underpaying workers by $2.6 million.

But by 2019, an audit by KPMG and Fair Work Australia had found the true extent of the underpayments amounted to a staggering $7.8 million over a six-year period.

George Calombaris speaks to Hamish Macdonald. Picture: Channel 10

Diners fled, and the company went into voluntary administration, $20 million in debt.

Calombaris left MasterChef – and it led to his fellow judges Gary Mehigan and Matt Preston also leaving the show when their contract negotiations broke down.

During the wage scandal, the restaurateur was also charged with assault after he was seen shoving a 19-year-old at the 2017 A-League grand final while being heckled about the wage controversy. The conviction was overturned on appeal in 2018.

Calombaris (centre) in his MasterChef days with fellow judges Gary Mehigan and Matt Preston. Picture: Channel 10

It was a definite low point for the chef, known for his Greek-inspired dishes, but when asked by Macdonald how much money he lost, Calombaris didn’t know the answer.

“No … I’m a realist and when you’ve come from nothing, anything extra’s a bonus … so when I say what is the dollar value, I don’t have a clue,” he said.

“We’re talking many millions aren’t we?” The Project host pressed.

“Maybe my accountant knows all that – I don’t care. When you’ve come from nothing and you know how to do it, well then you just go back to what you know, go back to the true essence of what you are,” Calombaris said.

George Calombaris is returning to screens with new docuseries Hungry. Picture: David Caird

Now, after three years away from our screens, Calombaris is returning with his new show Hungry.

It’s a six-part Channel 10 documentary series which he will co-host with former MasterChef contestant Sarah Todd.

It will see the chef take to the streets of Melbourne to talk food and nostalgia.

“I’m nervous,” he said when asked about his TV return. “I’m more nervous than I was about MasterChef.”