Celebrity chef Michael Chiarello dies at 61 in Napa Valley

Famed California chef and restaurateur Michael Chiarello has died at 61.

Chiarello died Friday surrounded through friends and family at the Queen of the Valley Medical Center in Napa, California, the place he were handled over the last week for “an acute allergic reaction that led to anaphylactic shock,” his eating place team, Gruppo Chiarello, introduced in a news release Saturday.

“We deeply mourn the loss of our beloved patriarch Michael. His culinary brilliance, boundless creativity, and unwavering commitment to family were at the core of his being,” Chiarello’s circle of relatives stated in a observation. “He brought people together through the joy of shared meals, fostering lasting memories around the table.”

“As we navigate this profound loss, we hold dear the moments we cherished with him, both in his kitchens and in our hearts,” the circle of relatives’s observation persisted. “His legacy will forever live on in the love he poured into every dish and the passion he instilled in all of us to savor life’s flavors.”

ABC News reached out to Gruppo Chiarello for additional touch upon Chiarello’s loss of life however didn’t instantly listen again.

The Italian American chef and previous Food Network host, who used to be born in Red Bluff, California, and raised in the Central Valley, constructed a small empire of acclaimed eating places in each San Francisco and Napa Valley, beginning with Tra Vigne in 1987.

Chiarello made his mark with meals that completely blended his Southern Italian roots with unique hallmarks of the Napa Valley, fusing (*61*) and Italian delicacies.

“What keeps me motivated is not the food itself but all the bonds and memories the food represents,” Chiarello wrote in his cookbook “The Tra Vigne Cookbook: Seasons in the California Wine Country,” first revealed in September 1999.

Chiarello’s profound affect at the culinary international reverberated with tributes on social media over the weekend from his esteemed chef buddies and associates around the hospitality trade.

Chef Thomas Keller, proprietor of The French Laundry — which is a six minute stroll from Chiarello’s famed Yountville eating place Bottega — shared a touching tribute on Instagram to his longtime neighbor, expensive pal and colleague.

“Michael’s great love for food and entertaining, the warmth he exuded, and the laughter he shared with our community left an indelible mark,” Keller wrote in the post’s caption. “Chef Michael, your enduring legacy lives on. Thank you for your friendship and for all your contributions to our profession. Sending love and peace to your entire family and your dedicated team.”

Chiarello graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, in 1982, and went directly to obtain his bachelor’s stage in hospitality control from Florida International University in 1984.

From there, Chiarello blazed a path for (*61*) and Italian delicacies over his 40 yr occupation as a chef and restaurateur, in which he advanced greater than 10 eating places, beginning with Toby’s in Miami, and used to be named Chef of the Year through Food & Wine mag.

A couple of of his different best culinary accolades come with being named the Culinary Institute of America’s Alumni of the Year in 2011, Chef of the Year through Esquire in 2013, James Beard finalist in the similar yr for Best New Restaurant, and garnering a sparkling 3.5 superstar assessment through the San Francisco Chronicle for his Spanish eating place Coqueta on Pier 5.

He hosted two hit presentations, the Emmy Award-winning Food Network sequence “Easy Entertaining with Michael Chiarello,” which used to be set a number of the gorgeous wine nation backdrop at Trefethen Winery, and “NapaStyle” at the Fine Living Network. He additionally gave the impression in different culinary presentations on PBS and the Cooking Channel, and later made it to the finals as a runner-up on Bravo’s “Top Chef Masters” in 2009. He additionally completed in 3rd position at the Food Network festival display “The Next Iron Chef” in 2011.