Chef Skye Gyngell, who pioneered the slow food movement, dies aged 62 | Restaurants
Tributes have been paid to pioneering chef and restaurant owner Skye Gyngell, who has died aged 62.
The Australian was one of the first celebrity advocates of using local and seasonal ingredients, building from scratch a garden restaurant, Petersham Nurseries Cafe, in Richmond, south-west London, which later earned a Michelin star.
The statement made by her family and friends included the following statements: “We are deeply saddened to share the news that Skye Gyngell passed away in London on November 22, surrounded by her family and loved ones.
“Skye was a culinary visionary who led generations of chefs and growers around the world to think about food and its connection to the land.
“He leaves behind a remarkable legacy and is an inspiration to us all. The family requests privacy at this time.”
Chef Jeremy Lee of London restaurant Quo Vadis praised the chef for her “extraordinary life and career… how this lovely girl lit up the world.”
Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver wrote: “Such sad news. She was a wonderful woman, an incredible cook and a good hearted person. She will be so, so, so missed. Thank you for everything you did to inspire young chefs.”
Gyngell was born in Sydney on 6 September 1963. His father was broadcaster Bruce Gyngell, who became the first person to appear on Australian television in 1956 and succeeded Greg Dyke as managing director of the breakfast television series TV-am in the 1980s. His mother, Ann Barr, was a well-known interior designer.
While studying law at the University of Sydney, he took a job washing dishes in a delicatessen, then moved to Paris to study under Anne Willan at the École de Cuisine La Varenne, before working at the two-Michelin-star restaurant Dodin-Bouffant.
The chef moved to London where he worked under Anton Mosimann at the Dorchester, then under Fergus and Margot Henderson at the French House in Soho.
He pioneered the “slow food movement”, a grassroots initiative founded in Italy in the 1980s to preserve traditional cooking and promote a “good, clean and fair” approach to food.
Gyngell moved into teaching and private catering for clients including Nigella Lawson, Charles Saatchi, Madonna and Guy Ritchie, and was later appointed food editor of Vogue.
After visiting Lord Burlington’s 18th-century villa Petersham House in 2004, he returned to the restaurant industry and opened Petersham Nurseries Cafe.
He also opened Spring at Somerset House in London and ran the Marle and Hearth restaurants at Heckfield Place in Hampshire.
Marle was awarded a green Michelin star in 2022 and has retained this star every year since.
Last year, the chef and food writer was diagnosed with Merkel cell carcinoma, a rare and aggressive skin cancer.
The treatment temporarily dulled his precious sense of smell and taste. “Salty foods tasted really salty,” he said. “Anything with peppers was like the spiciest curry in the world.
“One teaspoon of sugar in my tea was equivalent to 20 spoonfuls of sugar and I couldn’t taste the tea.”
She married Thomas Gore in 1989; They divorced in 1996 and are survived by their daughter Holly and daughter Evie, who was in a relationship with James Henderson.
