South Korean two-Michelin-star chef faces year in prison for serving ant-topped sorbet

The charges

Prosecutors in Seoul are seeking a one-year prison term and a 20 million won fine (approximately €12,000) for the owner of a two-Michelin-star restaurant in the Gangnam district. The chef, identified by some media as Australian-born Joseph Lidgerwood of restaurant Evett, is accused of violating the Food Sanitation Act by serving sorbets garnished with dried black ants. The insects were imported from the United States and Thailand and used from April 2021 to January 2025. Lidgerwood, who appeared on the Netflix cooking competition "Culinary Class Wars," is one of only ten chefs in Seoul holding two Michelin stars.

Scale of the operation

According to the prosecution, the restaurant served the ant-topped dessert roughly 12,200 times over nearly four years, generating 120 million won (about €170,000) in revenue. Estimates of the total number of ants used range from 41,000 to 49,000. The ants were a minor element of a 15-course tasting menu; the defense maintains that only about 60 percent of diners chose the ant garnish, with the remainder selecting alternatives such as fermented vinegar or edible flowers.

Investigation and heavy metal findings

The case began when officials from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety noticed online restaurant reviews with photographs of the ant-adorned desserts. Laboratory analysis later found that the ants contained heavy metal concentrations up to 55 times higher than those in insects approved for human consumption. South Korean law permits only ten insect species as food ingredients, including grasshoppers, locusts, crickets, and mealworms, but ants are not among them.

I apologize for this incident, which arose because I did not fully understand the relevant regulations.

Defense and international context

The chef's legal team argued that using ants in cuisine is accepted in high-end restaurants in Denmark, the United Kingdom, and Australia, and that Lidgerwood had previously used dried ants in the United States and Europe without legal issues. They also disputed the prosecution's revenue calculation, asserting that not all guests consumed the ants. One diner's online review described the ant-topped sorbet as "a unique experience in a lifetime," praising its "crunchy texture and earthy flavor with citrus notes reminiscent of lemongrass."

What happens next

The court is scheduled to issue its verdict on September 2. If convicted, the restaurant owner faces up to one year in prison and the fine, though the maximum statutory penalty is five years imprisonment or a 50 million won fine. The case highlights the tension between culinary innovation and South Korea's strict food safety regulations.