Chef Jean Imbert is cooked
Writing from Los Angeles, April 2026
Messieurs, Sirs (“Gentlemen” does not apply here), Señores, Meine Herren, Signori, سادة, Herrerne, Господа, Mga Ginoo, 先生們, Κυρίες και κύριοι, Uraim, גבירותיי ורבותיי, Tompo, सज्जनों, 紳士の皆様, Herrer, آقایان, Senhores, E te mau tane, Các quý ông, Панове, in short, to all the men on this planet:
In what world do you live that you think you can abuse women both physically and mentally, sometimes leading to ultimate and irreparable harm? What pleasure does it procure you? Are you a sadistic person because you have suffered in your own life? Apparently, you are not smart enough to come out of your troubled shell and not inflict your own personal anger on others. Why reproduce your own distress and bring hardship to others? (By the way, that applies to both women and men.)
This is an absolute nonpartisan issue. It crosses all religions, politics, skin colors, education levels, bank account balances, and ages. It is a question of respect and love — love toward humanity.
No more communication borders
Gone are the days when the news was brought to us by the morning or evening newspapers, or during prime time on television. We are now living in the era of instant circulation of any type of information at the stroke of a keyboard via the Internet 24/7, where anyone with a phone or a computer has a voice through social networks or a website; and can record, take photos and videos. I’m not saying the information is always true — giving the word ‘fake’ its lettre de noblesse (brush up on your French here) — or of great quality, but the means are there, without contest. One should think that it would be another reason to behave.
Please stop
Since I had dined at the soon-to-be-renamed Jean Imbert au Plaza Athéné with my son, I discussed the matter with him. His thinking was clear: he does not understand, neither grasp, the idea of how any man could torment women, that unfortunately, we know happens on the four corners of the globe. What is the end goal here?
Recently in the U.S., we’ve seen a congressman running for Governor of California resign after being accused of five alleged sexual improprieties, including claims that he drugged one individual. “To my family, staff, friends, and supporters, I am deeply sorry for mistakes in judgment I’ve made in my past,” he said.
Another congressman submitted his resignation, ending a five‑year career, months after revealing he had an affair with an aide who later died by suicide. Really. Do you not think of the consequences of your actions, not only directly to the woma/en, but to all around you, including family, friends and people whose jobs depend on you?
In the case of famous or powerful people, my son — who is part of the #MeToo generation — is even more adamant that this kind of behavior is unacceptable. Why don’t these perpetrators use their energy and fame to charm others in a respectful manner and be appreciated, instead of being feared and/or hated?
As a man, he despises those who create such a damaging divide between women and men. They wound the very idea of “man” kind.
Now what happened with Chef Jean Imbert
If you understand French, you can listen to the full story above.
Between 2013 and 2014, Miss France 2006, Alexandra Rosenfeld, was in a relationship with chef Jean Imbert. Imbert rose to fame after winning the television competition Top Chef in 2012, and being the youngest chef to graduate from the esteemed Institut Paul Bocuse in Lyon. During the filming of a TV show in 2013, and despite being surrounded by people, he reportedly headbutted Alexandra in a moment of jealousy because she was exchanging emails with her husband about their daughter. She was, nevertheless. asked to finish the shoot. The following day, a medical examination confirmed that her nose had been fractured.
After anonymously reporting the incident, she decided on August 19, 2025, to speak publicly, revealing chef Jean Imbert’s identity and hers. She filed a formal complaint with the police. She described a relationship marked by psychological abuse — denigration, silence, hurtful words, and a gradual erosion of herself‑confidence. “I was under control; I thought the problem was me,” she confides, revealing a painful pattern of isolation and control that slowly closed in around her.
Her decision to speak out came after an article in ELLE magazine in which three other women also accused chef Jean Imbert of violence, including sequestration in a hotel room and having the electrical wires in one woman’s apartment torn out to leave her in the dark.
What goes around comes around
On August 27, 2025, chef Jean Imbert announced that he was stepping back from his establishments for the duration of the investigation. Nothing has been posted on his Instagram account since August 15, 2025. His website has been deactivated. By November 2025, rumors began circulating that he was no longer at the Hôtel Plaza Athénée.
On April 15, 2026, François Delahaye — the general manager of this iconic palace since 1999 and Chief Operating Officer of the prestigious Dorchester Collection — made his final decision and ended chef Jean Imbert’s collaboration “avec effet immédiat” (with immediate effect).
I know Mr. Delahaye. He has a fair and gracious personality. As a true family man, he extends to the hotel staff the same values of respect and protection that he shows his wife, children, and grandchildren. There was no doubt in his mind: chef Jean Imbert had to leave the kitchen.
But for now, Jean Imbert will hold the title of Artistic Director of the hotel, not of the restaurant. Maybe on my next trip to Paris, I should check whether the flower arrangements look any better… A diplomatic way of putting Jean Imbert on a voie de garage — in other words, on a professional cul‑de‑sac.
We can only imagine that some of chef Jean Imbert’s other collaborations may now be in jeopardy — something called karma.
My choice of the main photo
You may probably be wondering why the main illustration for this article about the fall of chef Jean Imbert is not a photo of him, but a group picture of the team taken in the kitchen. Here is the reason.
When I dined there, I had the privilege of going behind the scenes. Chef Jean Imbert was not present, which made it clear that the chefs on site were the ones truly responsible for delivering the culinary feast. When you cook in one of the most luxurious and elegant hotels that there is, there is zero margin for error. You “simply” have to deliver perfection. The weight rests on the shoulders of this passionate team of women and men. If you read my article titled Dine Like a King & a Queen, you’ll see that I devoted a section to them.
When listening to the chefs, and reading between the words, it was obvious to me that whenever chef Jean Imbert would occasionally appear in the restaurant, the atmosphere was, shall we say, rather “electric.”
