A well-known chef in California has revealed his motive after being arrested for robbing three banks in a day.
Valentino Luchin, 62, a culinarian formerly known for his role as the executive chef at Rose Pistola in San Francisco, was arrested on September 10.
According to the San Francisco Police Department, Luchin has been accused of passing handwritten notes to bank tellers asking them to hand over money.
The first robbery occurred around noon at a bank near Grant Avenue in Chinatown. The teller reported that Luchin handed over a note demanding money, and out of concern for their safety, the teller complied and gave him a bag of cash.
After receiving a bag of cash, Luchin fled the scene. Officers did not reveal the amount of money stolen in the heist.
The investigation led by the city’s Robbery Unit identified Luchin as the suspect after spotting similarities between the three robberies, such as the suspect's description and the method used to commit the crimes.
Police also credited tips from the community and the SFPD’s “ambassadors” program with helping to confirm Luchin's involvement.
Later that day, the suspect was apprehended without incident, and he has been charged with two counts of robbery and one count of attempted robbery.
The celebrated cook, who is also the former owner of the now-closed Ottavio restaurant in Walnut Creek, has previously been accused of similar crimes.
In 2018, he was arrested for allegedly robbing a Citibank in Orinda, California, where he stole $18,000. Security footage from the 2018 robbery showed a hooded man wearing dark sunglasses and white gloves, armed with a BB gun.
Following that arrest, Luchin explained in an interview with the East Bay Times that his actions were a response to the mounting financial stress he was facing. "I thought it was a good plan, but it was not," he said.
He added that he never intended to hurt anyone and that the weapon used was a fake BB gun. "My action wasn’t aggressive. It was a fake gun. I don’t even know how to load a real gun,” he explained.
Luchin also revealed that after the robbery, he wrote an apology letter to the teller he allegedly threatened.
Luchin immigrated to the United States in 1993 and quickly made a name for himself in the culinary world.
In 2022, SFGate reported that the chef was joining the Old Clam House, one of the oldest restaurants in San Francisco, as their chef. It was not immediately clear whether or not he still works there.
After the closure of Ottavio in 2016, Luchin faced severe financial difficulties. Bankruptcy records from 2015 show that he and his wife were deeply in debt, with over $111,000 in liabilities and only $27,000 in assets.
"Everything went downhill," he told the East Bay Times at the time. "Desperation leads you to do things you never thought you were capable of."
Luchin will remain in custody while awaiting formal charges.