Celebrity chef, restauranteur, and former Food Network star Michael Chiarello died at the age of 61 after experiencing an allergic reaction that resulted in anaphylactic shock. He passed away at the Queen of the Valley Medical Center in Napa, California.
Chiarello’s company, Gruppo Chiarello, issued a statement to Entertainment Weekly and added that Chiarello spent his final moments surrounded by loved ones. “We deeply mourn the loss of our beloved patriarch, Michael,” said the Chiarello family in a statement. “His culinary brilliance, boundless creativity, and unwavering commitment to family were at the core of his being. 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. 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.”
Michael Chiarello Hosted Cooking Shows on Several Networks
Michael Chiarello earned notoriety for his California cuisine, heavily influenced by his Southern Italian heritage. From 2003 to 2010, Chiarello hosted Easy Entertaining with Michael Chiarello on the Food Network. A competitor on the fourth season of The Next Iron Chef, Chiarello appeared on cooking shows on PBS, Fine Living, and the Cooking Channel. He served as a judge on Next Iron Chef and dropped in as a guest chef on Today and The View.
Chiarello owned the Napa Valley restaurant Tra Vigne, which closed in 2015. He also owned Chiarello Family Vineyards and opened Bottega, Coqueta, and Ottimo with his partners at Gruppo Chiarello. In addition to his TV appearances, restaurants, and vineyards, Chiarello also authored several acclaimed cookbooks.
Entertainment Weekly reports, “Chiarello faced controversy in 2016 when two former Coqueta employees accused him and other management level employees of creating a ‘sexually charged, hostile and abusive environment,’ according to an Eater report. He denied the claims against him, and the lawsuits were settled the following year.”
In an interview with Food Republic, Chiarello talked about what he looks for when creating a romantic meal. “We’re looking for not just the consumption, but a meaning,” said Chiarello. “If there was a dish from a place that you traveled to. I did this fire, a whole roasted sea bass. We were actually in Brittany. We had this super romantic meal in France—sea bass roasted in fleur de sel, full crust, broken open and it was just amazing. A late harvest olive oil drizzled and that was it. A chablis. And that was just perfect. And it was a walkout to the moon into the ocean. There are those re-creations of meals that have memories. That’s where I would go with the menu.”
Robert DeSalvo is a professional writer and editor with over 25 years of experience at print and online publications such as Movieline, Playboy, PCH, Fandango, and The A.V. Club. He currently lives in Los Angeles, the setting of his favorite movie, Blade Runner. Robert has interviewed dozens of actors, directors, authors, musicians, and other celebrities during his journalism career, including Brian De Palma, Nicolas Cage, Dustin Hoffman, John Waters, Sigourney Weaver, Julianne Moore, Bryan Cranston, Anne Rice, and many more. Horror movies, sci-fi, cult films as well as gothic, postpunk, and synthwave music are what Robert geeks over.