Famed Chef's Duffle Bag Of Piranhas Smells Fishy To TSA At LAX

LOS ANGELES, CA — A Peruvian chef famously featured on Netflix’s “Chef’s Table,” landed in hot water recently when he tried to bring a duffel bag full of piranhas through LAX recently.

Virgilio Martinez had hoped to cook 40 vacuum-sealed frozen piranhas for a special dinners at Somni and at Vespertine as part of the Los Angeles Times’ month-long food festival Food Bowl. But TSA, baffled by the fish-filled duffle bag, had other ideas, the Los Angeles Times reported.

"I was extremely obsessed about bringing piranhas because we serve piranhas in the Amazon at (my restaurant), so I said, 'Guys, why not take a risk to bring piranhas to L.A.?' " Martinez told the Times. "You probably have preconceived notions about piranhas because of movies but for me, piranhas, we go fish them."

Little did the chef know the risk he was taking was not the rejection of American palates but the ire of customs officials.

Martinez said customs officers "went into a panic" when they opened his bag and his attempt at humor, saying he had "bones" and "flesh" in the bag, landed him in an interrogation room.

Five hours later, he was finally able to convince officers that he was using the piranhas for a special dinner with a friend, the Times said. He missed the dinner at Vespertine that night, but he was able to serve the delicacy the next night as part of a salad, the Times reported.

City News Service contributed to this report.