A Michelin chef who allegedly had his van packed with meat pies stolen has appealed to criminals, asking them to drop off the food at a community center so they can, at least, feed families in need.
“I know the pies are gone, I know you stole my van and I probably won’t get it back […] I know you’re a criminal, but maybe you could do something good, because it’s Christmas?” said British chef Tommy Banks, addressing the thieves directly on Instagram on Monday.
Yesterday morning, the starred chef, who owns several restaurants in England including The Black Swan, near York, was preparing to collect his van bearing the image of his establishment Tommy’s Pie Shop when he noticed its disappearance.
Except that inside were more than 2,500 meat pies destined for a Christmas market in York, which corresponds to around 25,000 pounds sterling in merchandise, or nearly $44,500 Canadian, according to his estimates.
They would have been enough to supply his pie shop for a week, he told the BBC.
“It’s a little sad because it’s a lot of meat, a lot of flour and eggs, and a lot of work. So much work, he continued to the British media. The team is empty because these are days and days of work stolen. Vans can be replaced.”
In his opinion, the thieves did not know the amount of their loot when they took the vehicle.
“The pies are all in boxes with my name on them, so it won’t be very easy to sell. If you are the thieves and you are reading this, I urge you to drop them off somewhere, a community center, or at least give them to people who need food so they don’t go to waste,” he said. he hammered.
“Also […] I hope you don’t get any presents this Christmas,” he continued writing in his post.
In a follow-up shared on Instagram, Tommy Banks indicated Tuesday that the van had possibly been located by law enforcement, but that the condition of the pies remained “unknown” at this time.
