A talented Tasmanian chef is facing the prospect of a year in prison after his acclaimed Seoul restaurant served diners ants that are not approved for human consumption in South Korea.
Joseph Lidgerwood, who grew up in the Huon Valley and studied at Hobart College, opened the fine dining restaurant Evett in Seoul’s Gangnam district in 2018 with his Korean wife, Ginny Kim.
The restaurant earned its first Michelin star within a year of opening and was elevated to two stars earlier this year.
But South Korean prosecutors are now seeking a one-year jail term for the owner of the two-Michelin-star restaurant.
Prosecutors also asked that the restaurant be fined 20 million Korean won – around $20,000 AUD.
The case centres on a sorbet dessert topped with dried ants imported from the United States and Thailand.
Investigators estimate around 49,000 ants were used in several dishes over four years.
Health authorities also found the restaurant used ants that “contained up to 55 times more heavy metals than typical edible insects”, according to a report in The Chosun Daily.
Ants are not among the 10 insect species approved for human consumption in South Korea.
The owner admitted to serving ants but argued they were used in a “small part” of the restaurant’s 15-course menu and that diners were told they could opt for non-ant toppings.
Only around 60% of diners chose the ant topping, the restaurant said, with alternatives such as fermented vinegar and edible flowers offered instead.
A lawyer for the restaurant stressed it had earned its first Michelin star before serving ants and received its second after stopping.
Before moving overseas, Lidgerwood completed his apprenticeship at various Tasmanian restaurants including in Franklin, the Astor Grill in Hobart and the Henry Jones Art Hotel.
The court is set to deliver its verdict on September 2.
