Latest news with #Bickelhaupt
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Yahoo
Michelin-star chef called his assault victim from jail for help with bond: Court documents
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (WJW) — A Michelin-star chef is facing more charges after he reportedly tried to contact the woman he is accused of assaulting to help him get out of jail, court documents reveal. Jacob Bickelhaupt, 41, left a voicemail for the victim on June 4, telling her to call his public defender and say she didn't want a no-contact order that had been filed against him, according to a criminal affidavit obtained by FOX 8 News. He disappeared in 1991. Investigators now dig for clues in his family's old backyard 'I have nowhere to stay, nowhere to sleep. … I need your help,' Bickelhaupt reportedly said in one voicemail, asking her to help him post bond, which at the time was $90,000. Twenty minutes later he called again. 'Here is the deal, I know there is a lot going on, and you're in really bad shape. I'm going to be here for a very long time if you so choose, maybe a year,' he said. 'I'm not trying to sound inconsiderate right now. I really don't have a lot of time. I love you. Please call that number.' The number he called, according to the affidavit, was not the victim's own line, but a joint number for Bickelhaupt's high-end West Palm Beach restaurant, Konro. A business partner reported the calls to authorities, according to Palm Beach Sherriff's Office. With the discovery of the phone calls, witness tampering and contempt charges were added to Bickelhaupt's aggravated battery and battery charges. His bond now sits at $99,000, according to the sheriff's office. Man arrested in murder of missing father found dead in East Cleveland The West Palm Beach Police Department was originally called to Saint Mary's Medical Center on June 2, when a patient's story wasn't sitting right with the medical team. According to police, a patient told staff she had been in a car accident, but the story was inconsistent. The victim's injuries were so severe, with bruising and swelling to her face and upper body, she was rushed into an emergency brain bleed surgery. The victim reportedly told police the assault lasted two hours, leading in part to Bickelhaupt's arrest. The victim was recovering in an intensive care unit when Bickelhaupt attempted to reach out to her from jail, according to police. Konro is currently listed as 'temporarily closed' on the Michelin Guide's website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Yahoo
Police: Star chef defied no-contact order in domestic battery case, asked woman for bail
The renowned chef accused of assaulting a female relative in his West Palm Beach home is facing new criminal charges after authorities alleged he violated a court order by attempting to contact his accuser. Investigators said Jacob Bickelhaupt — the owner of Konro, Palm Beach County's first Michelin-starred restaurant — made two phone calls from the county jail on June 5 seeking help from the woman he is accused of assaulting. According to a new arrest report, Bickelhaupt left voicemail messages on a business line in which he asked the woman to contact the Public Defender's Office and request that a no-contact order against him be rescinded. Circuit Judge Daliah Weiss declared him indigent after his first arrest. He also asked the woman to help him find someone to pay a percentage of his $90,000 bail. "I love you so much," the arrest report quotes Bickelhaupt as saying on one of the messages. Police had arrested Bickelhaupt, 41, on June 2 on aggravated battery and domestic battery charges after alleging he repeatedly punched and kicked a woman in his home, leaving her with two black eyes, and swelling and bruising on her face. Investigators said the woman attempted to leave the state after the attack by taking a flight from Palm Beach International Airport, but ended up in a West Palm Beach hospital after she suffered a seizure while waiting at the airport's ticket counter. A business partner of the accuser called police and informed them of phone messages, on which Bickelhaupt also reminded the woman that "I can't do the restaurant" while in jail and that he might be in custody "for a very long time … maybe a year" if she did not help him. Bickelhaupt, 41, remains in the Palm Beach County Jail. Bail in his two arrests totals $99,000. As a policy, the public defender's office does not comment on open cases. Bickelhaupt opened Konro in 2023 In April 2024, the Michelin Guide awarded Konro its star. Set off South Dixie Highway near the Norton Museum of Art, it is a menu-free restaurant with 10 counter seats and a three-figure-per-person price tag for admission. It does not appear to have opened since Bickelhaupt's arrest. Bickelhaupt previously ran 42 Grams, a popular restaurant in Chicago, where he also faced an allegation of domestic violence involving a different woman. In June 2017, Chicago police arrested him on charges that he threw the woman to the ground and struck her in the head with a bottle, according to multiple published reports. He pleaded guilty to a charge of simple battery and was ordered to undergo mandatory drug and alcohol testing, complete a domestic violence program and pay fines. Shortly after the Chicago arrest, Bickelhaupt closed 42 Grams, which at one time also earned Michelin-star status. Julius Whigham II is a criminal justice and public safety reporter for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jwhigham@ and follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @JuliusWhigham. Help support our work: Subscribe today. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Michelin-starred Konro chef faces new charges in domestic battery case
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Yahoo
South Florida Michelin-star chef charged with witness tampering following violent assault
A South Florida Michelin-star chef charged with violently attacking a woman last week is facing new charges after police say he left her voicemails from jail asking for help paying his bond. Jacob Bickelhaupt, 41, a co-founder of Konro in West Palm Beach, was charged Saturday with an additional two counts of witness tampering, a first-degree felony, and one count of violating a domestic violence injunction with two or more prior convictions, a third-degree felony, according to court records. He was previously arrested on charges of aggravated battery causing bodily harm or disability and battery causing bodily harm. Bickelhaupt is accused of punching and kicking the woman for over two hours on June 2, leaving her hospitalized with bleeding in her brain and in need of emergency surgery, according to police. Paramedics found her after she had a seizure at the airport while trying to buy a plane ticket to Denver, Colo., according to a probable cause affidavit. Her sister told the Sun Sentinel she could have died if she had boarded the plane. South Florida Michelin-star chef charged with second violent domestic assault After a violent spiral, famed Chicago chef seeks redemption — and Michelin stars — in South Florida The chef was taken to Palm Beach County jail, where he has remained in lieu of a $90,000 bond. A judge issued a no-contact order with the victim, GPS monitoring, and a no-weapons order. He was declared indigent and given a public defender. On Friday, a woman who shares a business phone with the victim contacted the police and gave them two voicemail recordings Bickelhaupt had left for the victim, who also worked with him at Konro. He had left the voicemails Wednesday afternoon, according to the affidavit, two days after the attack. 'This is Jacob, if you haven't given up on me please call the public defender,' the first message said, according to the affidavit, followed by the phone number of the public defender. 'I love you so much, I don't know what to say, I don't have much time. Again, call the public defender and tell them you don't want a order of no contact … I have nowhere to stay, nowhere to sleep. I need your help; I have a way to probably pay some of the bail. But we need to get someone to pay $1,500 of $9,000.00 upfront. I need a call back with a phone number so we can work this out. Im just calling my business and hopefully I can work things out.' About 20 minutes later, Bickelhaupt left another message, according to the affidavit. 'Hey this is Jacob again, trying to get ahold of you,' it said. 'Here is the deal, I know there is a lot going on and you're in really bad shape. Im going to be here for a very long time if you so choose, maybe a year … I have a way to get out for $1,500.00 with payments, I will explain how to do that, when I get out I have house arrest with ankle bracelet and no order to contact. So I need to find somewhere else to sleep, and I can't do the restaurant. I don't have any money, they took all my ID's and I don't have any shoes, its in evidence. You have to call this number if you want to help me out … I'm not trying to sound inconsiderate right now, I really don't have a lot of time. I love you, please call that number. Okay.' South Florida Michelin-star chef charged with second violent domestic assault After a violent spiral, famed Chicago chef seeks redemption — and Michelin stars — in South Florida Bickelhaupt's calls did not come from the jail, but from a phone number associated with another woman, according to the affidavit. That woman had been arrested in Palm Beach County in late May on charges of dealing in stolen property. It is unclear how Bickelhaupt obtained the phone. The victim's condition was not immediately available Tuesday. Hospitals do not give out information on domestic violence victims. A voicemail left with the woman's family was not immediately returned. Bickelhaupt has a history of domestic violence. In 2017, he pleaded guilty to attacking ex-wife and business partner in Chicago, leading to widespread public backlash across the city and the closure of his restaurant 42 Grams, which had won two Michelin stars. He later self-financed a documentary, '86ed,' about the experience of getting 'canceled' and 'his search for redemption,' according to a description of the film. Bickelhaupt got a fresh start in South Florida, moving to West Palm Beach in 2022 and opening Konro, which earned a Michelin star in April. This is a developing story, so check back for updates. Click here to have breaking news alerts sent directly to your inbox.
Chicago Tribune
04-06-2025
- Chicago Tribune
South Florida Michelin-star chef, formerly of 42 grams in Chicago, charged with second violent domestic assault
WEST PALM BEACH — A renowned Michelin-star chef based in South Florida with former ties to Chicago is charged with a brutal assault on a woman that left her in critical condition with bleeding in her brain. Jacob Bickelhaupt, 41, a co-founder of Konro in West Palm Beach, had a well-known history of domestic violence. He had pleaded guilty in 2017 to attacking his ex-wife and business partner in Chicago, leading to widespread public backlash across the city and the closure of his Michelin-starred restaurant 42 Grams. But Bickelhaupt's career bounced back after his move to South Florida, where he earned another Michelin star and where, he told the Sun Sentinel in 2022, he was working on himself and making 'amends' for his past behavior. 42 grams chef battered his ex-wife. Now he has filed a $250,000 defamation lawsuit against the chef is charged with another violent domestic assault that left a woman in the intensive care unit in need of emergency surgery. He faces felony counts of aggravated battery causing bodily harm or disability and battery causing bodily harm. The victim, who also worked with Bickelhaupt, had collapsed while having a seizure at a Palm Beach International airport ticket counter as she was trying to purchase a flight to Denver, Colo., according to a probable cause affidavit. Had she gotten on the flight, doctors later told her family, she would probably have died. 'They caught her in the nick of time,' her sister said. Paramedics rushed her to St. Mary's Medical Center, where she told Palm Beach County Sheriff's deputies that she had been in a car accident. But medical staff told deputies that the woman's injuries were not consistent with a car accident. She had two blackened eyes, facial swelling, bruising from shoulders to wrists, and a subdural hematoma requiring emergency surgery, according to the affidavit. Eventually, she gave a sworn statement to police, where she said that Bickelhaupt had attacked her for two hours as she tried to escape. The attack had begun when she approached him, asleep, on the couch in the early hours of the morning, trying to get him to come to bed, she said, according to the affidavit. They began to argue, and she went back to the bedroom. He followed her, then began to punch her in the face and kick her, causing her to fall to the floor. When she tried to crawl away, he continued to attack her. When West Palm Beach Police officers visited the victim's home later, they found blood splatter in multiple rooms, on bedding, walls, and furniture, according to the arrest report. When the attack was over, the victim managed to get a rideshare to the airport, where she planned to return to Denver, where she had grown up. At the hospital, the woman immediately identified Bickelhaupt as her attacker, but was unable to write her own name or sign the paper because of her 'physical condition rapidly deteriorating,' according to the affidavit. She required emergency surgery for the brain bleed and had an irregular heartbeat. Bickelhaupt was taken into custody the same day. He invoked his Miranda rights and requested his attorney when approached by police. Following a court appearance on June 3, Bickelhaupt was found indigent and granted a public defender. His bond was set at $90,000 along with a no-contact order with the victim, GPS monitoring, and a no-weapons order. He remained in the Palm Beach County jail as of Wednesday afternoon, according to inmate records. Bickelhaupt had initially gained fame with the Chicago-based restaurant 42 Grams, which earned two Michelin stars. Then, exactly eight years ago on June 4, 2017, he was charged with drunkenly attacking his ex-wife, Alexa Welsh, grabbing her by the hair and throwing her to the ground, then striking her with a glass bottle of sparking water. Her injuries required staples, according to Eater Chicago. 'Violence is a cycle. How does the saying go?' Welsh told the Sun Sentinel on Wednesday. ''Those who do not learn history …' I sent [the victim] a message of support. I hope she's able to make a full recovery.' Court documents reveal domestic violence past of 42 Grams chefBickelhaupt was arrested in the 2017 attack on a charge of domestic battery, which was then downgraded to simple battery, to which he pleaded guilty. He was released a month later. 'What I did was a very situational, passionate, alcoholic long story,' he told the Sun Sentinel for a profile in 2022. 'It was horrible, and it never should have happened, and what I did was 100 percent wrong. And that's why I'm trying to make amends to all that stuff. I'm going to live with what I did forever. I punish myself more than anyone else can punish me, I promise you that.' After the attack and the ensuing backlash, he moved to West Palm Beach in 2022 and co-founded Konro, which earned its own Michelin star in 2025. In response to questions about Bickelhaupt, Michelin said in a statement Wednesday that it 'firmly condemns all acts of violence, aggression and harassment, which violate fundamental human rights and severely impinge on the values of an entire profession. Since its inception in 1900, The MICHELIN Guide's purpose has been to provide consumers with dining recommendations enabling them to enjoy high-quality food and drink. Above all, the Guide recognizes collective achievement by awarding distinctions to restaurants rather than to chefs.' Asked whether Bickelhaupt would have his star for Konro removed, the organization said 'MICHELIN Stars are annual distinctions and therefore our Inspectors revisit the restaurants annually. At this time, Konro has been listed as temporarily closed on our website as we update all restaurants in real-time.'
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Michelin-rated chef arrested on domestic violence charges at West Palm Beach home
A renowned chef and the owner of the lone Michelin-starred restaurant in West Palm Beach is facing domestic battery charges after police alleged he assaulted a woman during an incident at his home. Jacob Bickelhaupt, the chef and owner of Konro restaurant, is facing one count each of domestic battery causing bodily harm and domestic battery following his arrest June 2 by West Palm Beach police. According to his arrest report, Bickelhaupt repeatedly punched and kicked the woman, leaving her with two black eyes, and with swelling and bruising on her face. The woman reportedly went to Palm Beach International Airport after the attack to try to buy a flight to her family's home but suffered a seizure at the ticket counter. She received emergency care at St. Mary's Medical Center. During a hearing June 3 at the Palm Beach County Jail, Circuit Judge Daliah Weiss ruled that Bickelhaupt, 41, is indigent and assigned a public defender to represent him. She set his bail at $90,000 and ordered that he be placed on in-house arrest with an ankle monitor if he is released. As a matter of policy, the county Public Defender's Office does not comment on active cases. After his arrest, Bickelhaupt requested to speak to an attorney and did not make other statements to investigators, his arrest report said. More: Dwyer student accused of torching classmate's car faces 2 more 'retaliation' arson charges The arrest marks the second time within the past decade Bickelhaupt has faced an allegation of domestic violence. In June 2017, Chicago police arrested him on charges that he assaulted a woman, throwing her to the ground and striking her in the head with a bottle, according to multiple published reports. He pleaded guilty to a charge of simple battery and was ordered to undergo mandatory drug and alcohol testing, complete a domestic violence program and pay fines. Shortly after the Chicago arrest, Bickelhaupt closed 42 Grams, his popular restaurant on Chicago's north side that at one time also earned Michelin-star status. In 2023, he opened Konro in West Palm Beach, on Park Place off South Dixie Highway near the Norton Museum of Art. It is a menu-free tasting restaurant with 10 counter seats and a steep, three-figure per person price tag for admission. In 2024, the Michelin Guide announced it would be rating Palm Beach County's restaurants, and in April, Konro was awarded a single Michelin star, making it the county's first and only restaurant to carry a star from the vaunted guide. According to Bickelhaupt's arrest report, his current accuser told investigators that he repeatedly attacked her over the span of two hours, even as she tried to leave the home. Once the attack stopped, the woman packed a bag and called for a ride to PBIA, where she collapsed, the arrest report said. Officers detained Bickelhaupt that night and took him to police headquarters for questioning. Julius Whigham II is a criminal justice and public safety reporter for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jwhigham@ and follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @JuliusWhigham. Help support our work: Subscribe today. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Michelin-star chef arrested on domestic violence charges in West Palm
