Australian chef Skye Gyngell has died aged 62.
Gyngell rose to fame in the UK after her cafe at Petersham Nurseries in south-west London was awarded the coveted Michelin star, one of the highest culinary honours. She later managed the Spring restaurant at Somerset House and Marle and Hearth at Heckfield Place in Hampshire.
Gyngell’s family said she died Saturday in London, describing her as a “culinary visionary who influenced generations of chefs and producers around the world to think about food and its connection to the land.”
Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver paid tribute to Gyngell – who was diagnosed with skin cancer last year – and thanked her for “all you have done to inspire young cooks”.
During the 1980s, Gyngell pioneered the “slow food movement” before becoming a private chef for clients including Nigella Lawson, Madonna and Guy Ritchie.
Lawson mourned her death, writing on Instagram: “Even if you know someone, their death is still a shock. It’s just horrible that Skye is no longer in this world.”
Gyngell died just days after her mother, Ann Barr, who was a famous interior designer.
His father, Bruce Gyngell, was the first person to appear on Australian television in 1956 with the phrase: “Good evening and welcome to television.” He died in 2000.
Born in Sydney, Skye Gyngell was studying at the University of Sydney when she realized the culinary world was where she wanted to be. She moved to Paris at age 19, where she trained and worked with renowned chefs, notably at the two-star Michelin restaurant Dodin-Bouffant.
Gyngell then moved to London and worked at the French House in Soho with Fergus and Margot Henderson.
In 2004, Gyngell became head chef at Petersham Nurseries cafe in Richmond, where she transformed the run-down site into a thriving cafe, and in 2011 it was awarded a Michelin star.
But the accolades were a double-edged sword for Gyngell, who left the cafe a year after the award, saying she was frustrated with customers who expected a traditional Michelin experience at her rustic cafe.
His later projects include Spring at Somerset House, which was the first plastic-free single-use restaurant in London.
Gyngell, who overcame drug and alcohol addiction in her youth, was also known for her award-winning cookbooks and wrote columns for Vogue as a food editor.
Last year, she discovered a lump in her neck and was diagnosed with Merkel cell carcinoma, a rare and aggressive skin cancer.
She underwent an operation that included the removal of her salivary glands, causing her to temporarily lose her sense of smell and taste.
