Celebrity Chefs Who've Been To Jail

In the summer of 2012, Cat Cora, co-host of "Around the World in 80 Plates," rear-ended a car. Fortunately, she was driving slowly and no one was hurt, but the other driver told the cops who arrived on the scene that she suspected Cora had been drinking. While Cora claimed to have only had three beers, she failed a breathalyzer test and was confined until she sobered up a few hours later.

Cora managed to avoid actual imprisonment (aside from the brief period spent in the Sobering Center) but she did receive a suspended sentence of 120 days in jail, along with three years of probation and a fine of $2,386 in addition to nine months of DUI school. Cora later released a statement expressing remorse over the incident.

"I learned a very important lesson from this experience and take full accountability for my actions," said Cora. "This will never happen again."

While most celeb chefs who get arrested don't torpedo their careers in the process, Juan-Carlos Cruz's record means that he's going to have a hard time getting a job when he's released. In 2010, the celeb chef, also known as the Calorie Commando, was sentenced to nine years in prison after he tried to kill his wife. Cruz didn't actually plan to commit the act himself, though. Instead, he took to the streets in search of a homeless person to do the deed for him.

It would be outrageous enough if the story ended there, but Cruz claimed to have a good reason for trying to hire a hit man. Allegedly, his wife, Jennifer Campbell, was depressed over her inability to conceive a baby and wanted to end her life because of it. Campbell's deep religious convictions prevented her from taking her own life, as the Catholic Church views it as a mortal sin. Cruz supposedly planned to have her killed and then kill himself.

Antony Worrall Thompson's shoplifting arrest was more embarrassing than scandalous, at least from his perspective. The chef was arrested for failing to pay for items at the self checkout of a Tesco. Worrall later told The Telegraph that it started off innocently enough. He said that he arrived home with the groceries one day, only to discover that he had inadvertently shoplifted some items. He thought he had rung everything up, but when he checked the receipts, discovered that he had left the store without paying for some items.

Worrall added that he didn't know why he continued to shoplift, although he thinks it's possible that his desire for excitement stemmed from the depression he had been experiencing."Was it a challenge?" he wondered. "Was it something that sparked my naughtiness, or my desire to live on the edge?"' The total value of the stolen goods was only £70.68, and Thompson was let off with a caution after being caught.

While most celebrity chefs who end up arrested for a crime attract scandal that can damage their careers, Jeff Henderson's criminal background actually makes for an inspiring story. Henderson came from a poor family, and began dealing drugs at a young age. When he was in his 20s, Henderson was arrested and sentenced to ten years and seven months in prison.

While in prison, Henderson discovered his culinary talent. He began to take business courses and worked in the prison kitchen. After a few years, he gained admission to a special culinary training program for inmates where he honed his craft. While it was difficult for Henderson to find work upon his release due to his record, he kept searching until he landed a job as a dishwasher. From there, he worked his way up, eventually becoming executive chef at Café Bellagio. He now has a successful career, not only as a celebrity chef but also as an author and public speaker.

Curtis Stone is another celebrity chef who found himself in trouble with the law after drinking while intoxicated. After his 2008 arrest, Stone said he wasn't guilty, although a breathalyzer test found that he was indeed over the legal limit — and he had been driving without a license to boot. He quickly posted bail, but the event seems to have left a big impression on him.

These days, Stone is quick to offer sympathy to those who have been in jail, and offers jobs to people who have a criminal record. "You have to throw the whole notion of a background check away," Stone told The Hollywood Reporter. He said that he often hires those who have been homeless, and even people who have been to prison. Stone said that this not only gives the underprivileged opportunities that are difficult to come by, but also leads to employee loyalty. "These guys stick around," said Stone. "Our experience has been a really positive one where they've committed to be loyal, long-standing employees."

Add Buddy Valastro to the list of cooking celebrities who haven't yet seemed to learn that mixing alcohol and driving is both dangerous and illegal. The "Cake Boss" star found himself in handcuffs in 2014 after he was arrested for driving while intoxicated. Cops caught Valastro's Corvette swerving in and out of traffic, and pulled him over on suspicion of drunk driving.

Sure enough, Valastro's eyes were bloodshot and he seemed off-balance when he stepped out of the car. He failed a breathalyzer test, and allegedly protested his arrest, telling the police officers, "You can't arrest me! I'm the Cake Boss." In spite of this compelling argument, Valastro ended up spending the night in jail, per the New York Daily News. He eventually pleaded guilty and posted a public apology on Twitter for his actions. The celeb managed to avoid more jail time, although he was grounded in a different way — by having his license suspended for 90 days.

We mostly think of Martha Stewart as a celebrity homemaker rather than as a celebrity chef, but with a few cookbooks under her belt, she definitely qualifies  as both. Her career hit a snag in 2004 when she began a five month prison sentence for insider trading. While the sentence of five months in a minimum security prison followed by five months of home confinement wasn't too harsh and was, in fact, the minimum sentence she could have received, the time under lock and key changed Stewart.

In an interview with Giuliana Rancic at 2015's Quickbooks Connect conference (via ABC News), Stewart spoke about that period in her life. She credited her family, her fans, and her health for getting through her imprisonment — and the lack of good food in jail. "Health, optimism and that curiosity to see what shouldn't happen, what you can overcome," said Stewart. "So, I overcame a very difficult, nasty situation."