Celebrity chef Angie Mar reportedly owes New York hundreds of thousands.

Chef Angie Ma Faces Financial Troubles Despite High-End Restaurant

Angie Ma, a reality TV chef and the owner of the upscale West Village restaurant Le B, famous for its $400 plates, is reportedly struggling to pay her bills.

Despite her reputation for expensive cuisine, Ma is facing a growing list of unpaid debts, allegedly amounting to hundreds of thousands of dollars owed to New York state and significant amounts to her legal team.

This fresh round of legal troubles follows a lawsuit from 2018 when bartenders representing 50 Beatrice Inn employees accused her of failing to pay minimum wage and improperly taking tips to offset costs for back-of-house staff. That case was settled out of court.

More recently, in 2024, a wine supplier filed a lawsuit against her for failing to pay for French and Italian wines.

Originally from Seattle, Ma transitioned from a commercial real estate career to crafting culinary experiences. In 2023, she opened Le B at the same location as the short-lived French restaurant Les Trois Cheveaux, taking over the previous Beatrice Inn, which she purchased from Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter in 2016.

Celebrity guests have flocked to the restaurant, drawn by specialties like Le Burger, made from dry-aged ribeye and gourmet ingredients. Notables such as TV personality Gayle King and fashion designer Christian Siriano have been spotted there.

However, behind this glamorous surface, Ma is in considerable trouble. Court documents reveal she has already paid $126,000 in fines related to the various iterations of her West Village establishments.

Ma refutes allegations of being a deadbeat. A spokesperson insisted that these claims stem from errors in workers’ compensation records and claimed everything is up to date.

Interestingly, she now faces an outstanding debt of $88,767 in legal fees to the attorney who helped negotiate the settlement in that 2018 case. The legal battle is still ongoing, though the spokesperson stated this issue has been resolved.

The situation has raised eyebrows, especially since her restaurant recently faced allegations from Sussex Wine Merchants. After failing to pay over $1,800 in shipping charges for premium wine, the situation seemingly concluded when a spokesperson mentioned that Petit Pois is now supplying wines to Le B.

Responses from her staff have also been mixed. George G. Escudero, the restaurant manager, expressed confusion about these claims. “I’ve been a maitre d for nine years, and this is the first I’m hearing of something like this,” he commented.