French prison chef becomes Instagram star

PARIS: 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.