A national supermarket chain allegedly loaned celebrity chef David Bouley a lot of lettuce to keep his restaurant empire afloat.
Bouley was so hard up for cash at one point that his friends at Wegmans supermarkets covered millions in payroll at his Manhattan restaurants, a former employee claims in a lawsuit.
New Jersey resident Mark Stiel alleges Bouley’s money issues sprang in part because he used cash from his businesses “to cover his personal expenses,” according to the Manhattan federal lawsuit filed last week.
Wegmans “spent $7 million to keep [Bouley’s company] operating each week,” Stiel charges.
Stiel claims he helped Bouley right his listing financial ship, working six days a week for years but was abruptly fired after being sidelined by medical issues.
Bouley denied the allegations.