Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

French Inmate Posting Food Videos From Jail Cell Now An Instagram Star

French Inmate Posting Food Videos From Jail Cell Now An Instagram Star

As his culinary fame grows, fellow prisoners have begun placing orders for favourite dishes.

The chocolate sauce bubbling in a bain-marie is a staple of cookery programmes, but this is food porn with a twist, as France's newest celebrity chef cooks up a storm in a corner of his prison cell.

Welcome to Dany Hellz Kitchen, the popular Instagram account of a French inmate, who conjures up mouthwatering tagines, tiramisus and pizzas with the few basic utensils he is allowed to keep behind bars.

"You can make everything with nothing," is the motto of this foodie convict, who films himself in action with his phone but does not show his face on camera in order to remain anonymous, phones being banned in French prison cells.

Dany (not his real name) has spent over seven years in jail for trafficking illegal substances (he would not say which).

"After a few years, prison food is so jaded, it always tastes the same, so I try to vary the dishes," he told AFP in a telephone interview.

Hot plate on stilts


The centrepiece of his "hell's kitchen" -- a nod to British chef Gordon Ramsay's TV series of the same name -- is a hot plate that doubles up as an oven when turned upside down and propped up by four cans.

"In the past I had two hot plates meaning I could cook something evenly, sandwich-style, but they took it away from me so now I have to turn the stove around half-way through to distribute the heat," he says.

His videos provide a rare glimpse into prison life, with the light filtering into his cell through the bars on the window and a small TV screen perched high on a wall.

They also underscore the importance attached to food among people struggling with boredom and loneliness.

For Dany, a university graduate of north African origin, cooking is a form of therapy.

"I get up, I set up my equipment and it allows me to concentrate on something I enjoy and that other prisoners also enjoy," he says.

His approach is two-fold: either he takes his prison food tray and reworks the steamed fish or vegetables with olive oil and garlic to add flavour or he creates his own dish from scratch using food and equipment sourced through the prison catalogue.

He also receives food parcels from family and friends.

One of his most recent gifts was a bottle of soy sauce but in the past visitors have also managed to smuggle in fresh goods, including, he says, a leg of lamb on one occasion.

No sharp knives


With no sharp objects allowed in cells, he chops and peels with a knife with a rounded tip.

Prisoners are also not allowed to have yeast lest they use it to make alcohol, a pet peeve of Dany's but which doesn't stop him making bread.

Like all chefs, he has a secret ingredient he cannot live without -- tomato paste, "which makes an excellent base for lots of different sauces."

As his culinary fame grows, fellow prisoners have begun placing orders for favourite dishes, such as one man's request for loubia, a Moroccan bean stew, which he served with peppers roasted directly on his hot plate.

Dany shares his creations with other inmates during walks in the prison yard as well as with the wider world in videos recorded in a mix of slang-infused French and English.

One video on Instagram, where he has nearly 30,000 followers, shows him making and icing a birthday cake.

"Dude you eating better than me and your in prison," one incredulous follower commented on Instagram.

"Chef, I've tasted your cooking, it's incredible", another follower, with the alias 24-El-Padrino, praises.

Dany is hoping to use his newfound fame to launch his own cannabis cooking oil after his release, expected later this year.

And he has already planned the menu for his prison parting feast -- there will be couscous -- and is salivating at the prospect of his first meal as a newly-free man.

"It'll be a wood-fired pizza, I think."

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
EU Proposes Phasing Out Russian Oil and Gas by End of 2027 to End Energy Dependence
More Than 150,000 Followers for a Fictional Character: The New Influencers Are AI Creations
EU Prepares for War
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Big Tech Executives Laud Trump at White House Dinner, Unveil Massive U.S. Investments
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
‘Looks Like a Wig’: Online Users Express Concern Over Kate Middleton
Florida’s Vaccine Revolution: DeSantis Declares War on Mandates
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
"The Situation Has Never Been This Bad": The Fall of PepsiCo
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
The Fashion Designer Who Became an Italian Symbol: Giorgio Armani Has Died at 91
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Druzhba Pipeline Incident Sparks Geopolitical Tensions
Cost of Opposition Leader Péter Magyar's Economic Plan Revealed
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
×