Renowned California Chef Arrested After Robbing Three Banks in One Day
A celebrated California chef once known for his culinary talents is now facing serious criminal charges after allegedly robbing three banks in San Francisco on the same day.
According to the San Francisco Police Department, Valentino Luchin, 62, carried out the heists on September 10 by handing handwritten notes to tellers demanding cash. The robberies occurred in Chinatown and the Central District, and investigators linked the cases through similarities in the suspect’s description and method. Police later arrested Luchin without incident, booking him into San Francisco County Jail. He now faces two counts of robbery and one count of attempted robbery.
Luchin, originally from Italy’s Veneto region, once rose to prominence as the executive chef at the beloved North Beach restaurant Rose Pistola and later as owner of Ottavio in Walnut Creek, which closed in 2016. However, financial hardship and bankruptcy filings revealed more than $111,000 in debt, which he admitted contributed to desperate decisions.
This is not Luchin’s first alleged encounter with bank robbery. In 2018, he was arrested in connection with a Citibank heist in Orinda, where $18,000 was stolen using a BB gun. At the time, he admitted to acting out of financial despair, claiming he never intended harm and even wrote an apology letter to the teller.
Community members and police alike expressed shock at how far the once-renowned chef’s life had unraveled. Luchin remains in custody as the case moves forward.
Leave a Reply