Michelin chef caught cheating in eating contest after bag ‘stank of curry’

A Michelin-trained chef has been accused of cheating at a Thai restaurant’s curry-eating challenges to win prizes of more than £700.

Sebastian Schwesinger, 37, was confronted after he failed to clear a gut-busting 10kg (22lbs) plate of the dish plus rice in Bangkok.

Staff allege the competitive eater, from Leipzig, Germany, deposited handfuls of food into his backpack on December 17.

They retrieved CCTV footage that they say shows him checking if he was being watched before committing the stealthy act.

But Mr Schwesinger denied any wrongdoing after being confronted by staff who demanded that he pay for the giant meal.

They then investigated at two of their sister restaurants and now allege that he also cheated in similar man vs food challenges at the locations to win prizes worth 30,000 (£715) baht combined.

Jack Witsarut, manager of the Gold Curry Bangkok, said: ‘The customer came in and told us he wanted to take on the 10kg curry challenge.

‘He started eating at 3:10pm and finished at 3:50pm.

‘At first, staff did not suspect any cheating, but after about 20 minutes, one employee noticed him putting rice into a bag next to him, after seeing the reflection on the glossy surface of our refrigerator.

‘The staff informed me and asked me to check the CCTV footage to confirm what had happened [and] I saw that it was true.

‘Because the security camera was far away and the images were not very clear, I asked the staff to continue watching and record video as evidence.

‘Shortly afterwards, he said he could not finish the challenge.’

Staff checked CCTV

Mr Schwesinger reportedly refused an inspection of his bag, which was said to have ‘stunk of curry’.

Police were called to the scene as he allegedly tried to flee, claiming he had no money to pay.

Staff investigated and claimed he had cheated at two of their other branches and collected the prize money before being caught.

In one of the venues, a photo shows him flashing two thumbs up after appearing to have devoured a whole plate of curry rice with five minutes to spare before his time was up.

Staff checked CCTV and noticed he had allegedly cheated, winning 10,000 baht for a 6kg challenge and 20,000 for an 8kg plate.

In the video from December 12, Mr Schwesinger appears to scoop food into his left hand and drop it into a bag beside him as he failed the 10kg challenge.

‘No record in competitive eating’

The manager added: ‘When officers from Thonglor Police station arrived, he said he would transfer the money from Germany to Thailand, saying it would arrive the next day.

‘After checking the process, I realised the transfer could still be cancelled before completion, so we told the police we were not okay with that.

‘We were surprised by how quickly he was able to finish the challenges, especially the first time he completed six kilos.

‘We found no record of him being a competitive eater.’

Few customers succeed at the challenges due to the volume of food.

‘Even professionals usually take much longer and often film themselves during eating challenges, but he did not,’ Mr Witsarut said.

‘For him to finish eight kilogrammes in 40 minutes would have been considered record-breaking in Thailand.

‘For those asking why staff were not watching him closely, it is important to understand that staff also have to serve other customers.

‘Sitting and staring at competitors can make them feel pressured.’

The German had to leave his passport at the restaurant before returning the following day to settle the bill.

Gold Curry has since warned other restaurants to blacklist Sebastian from their eating challenges.

Mr Witsarut said the business partners were now considering whether to pursue a case against the tourist.

Gold Curry is a Japanese restaurant chain with eight branches in Bangkok and outlets in other provinces.

All locations run a daily extreme curry rice challenge, with portions from two to 10 kilogrammes.

Cash prizes range from around 10,000 baht to 40,000 baht for finishing the dish within an hour.

Metro has attempted to reach Mr Schwesinger for comment.

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