Crime Scene

Boston Chef Busted With a Ton of Drugs at Canadian Border

Maslow, when he's just high on life.
Maslow, when he’s just high on life. Photo: Yoon S. Byun/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Tim Maslow, a Momofuku Ssäm Bar alum currently up for a James Beard award, may unfortunately have to add convicted felon to that list. The Boston-based chef was in Canada this weekend for a Montreal cooking festival, but on his way back Friday night, he got busted by Vermont border patrol for carrying 22.5 pounds of marijuana edibles, plus some other “controlled substances.” There were four other people in the car with him, but police tell the Boston Globe that Maslow immediately claimed the drugs all belonged to him and was “very cooperative” during the subsequent arrest. He’s been charged with four counts of felony possession (marijuana, a depressant, a stimulant, and a narcotic), pleaded not guilty, and is out on $5,000 bail. If his mugshot is any indication, the conversation he managed to have with police was probably an interesting one:

Maslow worked as chef de cuisine at Ssäm Bar before returning to the Boston area to take over his dad’s sandwich shop Strip-T’s. After getting some acclaim for innovating it, he opened Ribelle, which the Globe gave four stars in 2013. Time in the pokey, or even a felony record, would complicate life, and anyone who caught Maslow’s Instagram meltdown after the arrest (he’s since deleted the posts) would have definitely had additional cause for concern: One is a video of him burning Ribelle business cards, with the caption “Last service @ribellebkline in the books. So looking forward to gutting this bitch like a pig and getting it right.” In another, he sets the Globe’s review on fire, and its caption reads: “I’m done with this one too. Have your 4 stars back @bostonglobe. Give it to someone who wants it. #ripribelle.”

According to Ribelle’s official Twitter account, the restaurant has been renamed 1665 Beacon St., which is the spot’s address. Anyone hungry for great food with maybe a side of drama in the Boston area will be happy to know that the restaurant, whatever it’s called now, still plans to serve dinner tonight:

[Globe]

Chef Tim Maslow Busted with Pot at Border