Michael Chiarello is survived by his ex-wfe Eileen Gordon and his four children.
Napa restaurateur and TV chef Michael Chiarello died Oct. 6, after being treated for several days at Queen of the Valley Medical Center in Napa for an apparent allergic reaction that led to anaphylactic shock. He was 61.
News of the award-winning chef’s death was announced Saturday by Gruppo Chiarello, the company he founded.
Chiarello was well known for hosting several national television shows on PBS, the Food Network and the Cooking Channel. He has owned various restaurants, including two Coqueta restaurants, with one in San Francisco and the other in Yountville. Napa Valley is also home to Chiarello’s restaurants Bottega and Ottimo, as well as his winery, Chiarello Family Vineyards.
Over the course of his career as a chef, Chiarello earned several awards for his culinary work. In 2013 he was named Chef of the Year by Esquire magazine.
“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,” the Chiarello family said in a statement.
Chiarello secured his first restaurant apprenticeship when he was 14 years old. Then at 20, he graduated from the Culinary Institute of America. Two years later, Chiarello opened up his first restaurant in Miami called Toby’s.
In 2016, two women who were former servers at Chiarello’s Coqueta restaurant in San Francisco filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against him. He denied the claims and later settled the suit out of court.
State Sen. Bill Dodd (D-Napa) shared his condolences on the social media platform X: “Mourning the loss of #MichaelChiarello, an incredible chef and good friend who always supported our community. He was an icon in the restaurant industry and will be deeply missed.”
