Celebrity chef Michael Chiarello — who ran restaurants in San Francisco and Napa Valley — died on Friday night after an acute allergic reaction led to anaphylactic shock.
Chiarello’s company, Gruppo Chiarello, announced the chef’s passing over the weekend. He was 61 years old.
“As we navigate this profound loss, we hold dear the moments we cherished with him, both in his kitchens and in our hearts,” said the Chiarello family in a statement. “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.”
Chiarello founded restaurants including Bottega and Ottimo, both located in Napa Valley, and Coqueta, with locations in both Napa and San Francisco. Over his decades as a chef, Chiarello earned numerous accolades for his culinary work — from being named Esquire magazine’s Chef of the Year in 2013, to hosting national television shows on PBS, the Food Network, and the Cooking Channel, including the Emmy Award-winning series Easy Entertaining with Michael Chiarello.
He was widely credited for putting regional cuisine from Italy’s southern region of Calabria on the U.S. culinary map.
Chiarello was born in 1962 in the northern Central Valley town of Red Bluff and raised in Turlock in Stanislaus County. After years of watching his parents harvest vegetables from their backyard garden — and later bringing them to life through his family’s Calabrian recipes — Chiarello’s first restaurant apprenticeship began at age 14. Six years later, Chiarello graduated from The Culinary Institute of America. He opened his first restaurant, the Miami-based Toby’s, at 22.
Soon after, the chef returned to California to solidify his culinary style: “Italian-influenced Wine Country cuisine.” His first major achievement was the celebrated Tra Vigne, where he was the founding executive chef. The Napa restaurant served such famous diners during the 1980s and 1990s as Francis Ford Coppola, Robert Redford, Robert Mondavi and, according to Sonoma magazine, even Julia Child, who asked to meet the entire kitchen staff.
Over the years, Chiarello developed numerous restaurants, cookbooks and a vineyard, the Chiarello Family Vineyards in St. Helena. He also operated culinary shops called NapaStyle, where home cooks could purchase cookware, cookbooks, his line of infused olive oils and other gourmet products. In 2010, his “Bottega” cookbook made its debut at the Los Gatos shop, with Chiarello greeting customers and signing autographs.
In 2016, Chiarello was accused of sexual harassment by female employees at the San Francisco Coqueta location, who said the restaurateur created a sexually charged, hostile and abusive work environment. A separate wage and labor class action lawsuit was also filed against Chiarello. The chef denied the claims against him, and later settled the lawsuits out of court.
“Chef Michael Chiarello’s passion for food and life will forever be etched in our kitchens and our hearts,” said his company, Gruppo Chiarello, in a statement. “While we mourn Michael’s passing, we also celebrate his legacy that continues with his restaurants, Bottega, Coqueta (San Francisco and Napa Valley), and Ottimo.”