Renowned Bay Area chef Emile Mooser has been sentenced to ten months in jail for possession of child pornography. In 2009, The former owner of Emlie’s Restaurant in San Jose was discovered by federal officials when he purchased $400 worth of pornographic images via Paypal. A search of his Bay Area home revealed 316 pornographic images, most of them girls under the age of 12.
Mooser, who got his start as Executive Chef for Bimbo's 365 in the 1960s, admitted to authorities that he had purchased and viewed the explicit images between 2005 and 2007, though “[h]e indicated he was curious but did not like it.”
Prior to his conviction back in December, Mooser won the Zagat award for the “best traditional French restaurant in the San Francisco Bay Area” in 1992, and received numerous culinary awards, including the Mérit Acricole medal from the French goverment in 2006. Along with jail time, the 77 year old chef will receive 3 years probation, and will be enrolled in a psychological treatment program.
