Wolfgang Puck tells how he left home at 14 to escape his abusive stepfather and became suicidal when he was fired from his first kitchen job for failing to peel enough potatoes in new documentary

When you think of the name Wolfgang Puck, images of Hollywood glamor and fine dining immediately spring to mind. 

But in a new documentary, the acclaimed celebrity chef tells a different tale, opening up about his relationship with his abusive stepfather and the time he contemplated suicide as a teenager. 

In the Disney + documentary Wolfgang, Puck recounts growing up in Austria with an abusive stepfather who constantly belittled him. 

'My mother was a chef in Austria, and my stepfather was very, very nasty,' the 71-year-old told Yahoo Life in a preview for the film. 'He abused us mentally and physically, me and my sister, and I couldn't wait to leave.' 

In an attempt to escape the abuse, Puck's mother secured him an apprenticeship at a hotel 50 miles away. Three weeks into the gig he was fired for not peeling enough potatoes. 

'I walked on the bridge that was over the river and I thought, "I'm going to jump in and kill myself," Puck said.  

He was just 14 years old.  

Acclaimed celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck opened up about his relationship with his abusive stepfather and the time he contemplated suicide as a teenager in a new documentary. Pictured: Puck at his restaurant Spago in 2014 and at Ma Maison in the 1980s

Puck was seven years old when his mother Maria , a pastry chef, married his stepfather Josef Puck , a boxer and coal miner, in 1956

'I always tell people my first 15 or 17 years were the most difficult in my life,' Puck told Page Six in another preview for the documentary. 'And then it started to get better.'

Puck said he stood on the bridge for an hour, contemplating his life before deciding not to go through with it. Instead, he returned to the kitchen the next day and begged for his job back.

'The apprentice who was there before me, he saw me coming and he was so excited,' Puck said. 'He says, "Oh, you're back. Thank God, so I don't think I have to peel potatoes and onions again."' 

Puck said he decided to include his mental health struggles into the documentary in order to shed a positive outlook on overcoming adversity. 

'I wanted younger people to know what adversity is — you can overcome it and actually look at the positive and say the glass is half-full instead of half-empty,' he said.  

Puck was seven years old when his mother Maria, a pastry chef, married his stepfather Josef Puck, a boxer and coal miner, in 1956. 

The family moved to a small town and Josef adopted Puck, who inherited his last name in the process.  

Puck previously described how his stepfather terrorized his family with his mood swings and temper in a 2019 Wall Street Journal article.   

'If I did something wrong, he hit me with his belt or a thin stick,' Puck said. 'One day, I cracked the stick so it would break when it struck me. My mother saw the stick break into pieces and screamed at him to leave me alone.' 

Puck is pictured in an undated childhood photo. He told Page Six: 'My first 15 or 17 years were the most difficult in my life'

After working his way through fine dining restaurants in Paris, Puck eventually moved to the United States when he was 24, becoming the chef at West Hollywood's Ma Maison before opening Spago in 1982. 

After working his way through fine dining restaurants in Paris, Puck eventually found himself in the United States, becoming the chef at West Hollywood's Ma Maison before opening Spago in 1982

'When I opened Spago, I called Billy Wilder up and I said, "Billy, I have my new restaurant open. You have to come. He  said, "OK, I’ll come. Put me down on Friday night for eight or 10 people," Puck recalled. 

When Wilder showed up, Puck said he brought Hollywood legends Gregory Peck, Sidney Poitier and Joan Collins along with him. 

'All of a sudden, they were sitting in the middle of the restaurant, and everybody said, "Oh my God, Spago is THE restaurant. All the big stars are coming to Spago,"' Puck said.  

When talent agent Swifty Lazar began hosting his Oscar parties there in 1985, Puck truly cemented a name for himself within the culinary industry.   

Puck also opened up about balancing his work and home life, delving into his relationship with his children. 

'To enjoy being with your family, it's really a thing I had to learn because I didn't grow up like that,' he said. 'I was happy when my stepfather left our house, not when he came home. And Gelila, my new wife, really helped me understand how important family is and how we have to raise the kids.'

Puck said he works to be an example for his children, spending more time with them now than he did before. 

Puck's eldest son Byron has followed his father into the business, serving as general manager at two of his newest restaurants, Merois and Ospero 

Puck opened up about balancing his work and home life, delving into his relationship with his children and his wife, Gelila

His eldest son, Byron, 27, has even followed his father into the business, serving as general manager at two of Wolfgang's newest restaurants, Merois and Ospero. 

'It’s very exciting to see your son doing work and being good at it,' Puck said. 'I get so many great comments about how he runs the restaurant, so it's really a very good feeling.' 

Wolfgang is now streaming on Disney+ today and is directed by David Gelb, the creator of Netflix's Chefs Table.