Source: Radio New Zealand
Some of the world’s most famous chefs have paid tribute to Australian Michelin star chef Skye Gyngell, who has died in London at the age of 62.
Gyngell, the daughter of the late Australian television executive Bruce Gyngell, had battled a rare form of skin cancer for about 18 months, which spread to her salivary glands.
Her treatment meant she lost her sense of taste.
Gyngell had battled with a rare form of skin cancer for about 18 months.
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“Skye was far more than a chef — or, as she preferred to say, a cook,” Spring London’s statement said.
“She was a mentor, an anchor and a force who helped so many of us find our place in what we do.
“Above all, her most treasured role was as mother to her daughters Holly and Evie, and grandmother to Cyprien, who remain at the heart of everything she achieved.”
The chef died just days after the death of her mother, Sydney decorator and designer Ann Gyngell, who had three children with Bruce Gyngell.
Skye Gyngell trained in Sydney and Paris before moving to London, where she became one of Britain’s most acclaimed chefs.
She first gained recognition at Petersham Nurseries in London, where she earned a Michelin star — the first Australian woman to do so.
Her culinary style was farm-to-plate, with a focus on sustainability of the land and seasonal produce.
Culinary world in shock
British chef Jamie Oliver paid tribute on social media, saying the death was “terribly sad news”.
“She was an amazing woman and incredible cook and kind hearted. She will be very, very, very missed,” he said.
Food writer and television cook Nigella Lawson said the death was a shock.
“However ill you know someone to be, their death is always a shock,” she wrote in a social media post.
“It’s just awful that Skye is no longer in the world.”
Australian chef Kylie Kwong hailed Gyngell “one of the greatest cooks”.
In May, Gyngell told the Financial Times that losing her sense of taste was more of a challenge for her personal life than her work.
“I have been a chef for 40 years, I know what works on a plate,” she told the publication.
“It was more the sadness that I might never be able to enjoy food again.”
One of Gyngell’s daughters, Holly Gore, wrote that her mother cried and laughed in her final days with her daughters beside her.
“For a year and a half, you fought with everything you had — your strength was undeniable, as it always had been,” she said.
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
