Ananova:

A gourmet chef says high unemployment in Germany has forced him to take a job in a school cafeteria.

Vincenzo Maiuolo used to be head chef at the prestigious Villa Kellermann in Potsdam, serving celebrities like designer Wolfgang Joop and Helmut Kohl.

But when the restaurant was taken over, Maiuolo, who is from Italy, lost his job.

The local job office offered him a place as a cook at the cafeteria of the Goethe-Schule in Berlin's Steglitz district.

"The biggest difference is that students only pay one euro for their food," Maiuolo told the Berliner Kurier.

"Other than that, my guests are 16, 17 or 18, so they do know something about food."

Maiuolo says he doesn't consider the new job a step down and enjoys tempting students with unusual flavours.

"They simply like mediterranean food and all kinds of pasta. But for dessert, occasionally there's something like mango parfait," he said.