Celebrity chef Cat Cora faced some heat Tuesday when Santa Barbara police reported that she had rear-ended a vehicle on upper State Street in June before allegedly failing sobriety tests.
The incident caught nationwide attention after the Police Department issued a news release on recent DUI cases that included her name. Cora, 45, is a Santa Barbara resident.
According to police, the incident occurred at 6:15 p.m. on June 17 as Cora was driving back to Santa Barbara from the Cold Springs Tavern.
Sgt. Riley Harwood said officers responded to the scene after the other driver involved in the crash called police, suspecting that Cora was intoxicated.
According to Harwood, Cora consented to taking two breathalyzer tests, reading .20 and .19 — well above the 0.08 limit.
“The reason hers was among a half-dozen or so noted cases was because hers was a high BAC,” Harwood said. “Following that (breathalyzer tests) she was transported to a hospital where she submitted a blood sample, which was determined to be .19 BAC.”
He said she was then transported to the downtown sobering center.
Cora has been charged with a count of DUI and for driving with a blood-alcohol content of 0.08 or higher. Her arraignment is scheduled for July 26.
In addition to her title of Iron Chef on the cooking show Iron Chef America, Cora has written several culinary books and is a co-host of Around the World in 80 Plates, a reality show on Bravo in which chefs compete in 10 countries over 44 days.
— Noozhawk intern Sam Loomis can be reached at sloomis@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.