Celebrity Chef Michael Chiarello dies at age 61
Chiarello founded restaurants including Bottega and Ottimo in Napa Valley, and Coqueta, with locations in both Napa and San Francisco.
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 two-and-a-half 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.
Chiarello was born in Red Bluff, about 130 miles northwest of Sacramento, in 1962. After years of watching his parents harvest vegetables from their backyard garden — and later bringing them to life through Italian cooking — Chiarello’s first restaurant apprenticeship began at age 14. Six years later, Chiarello had graduated from The Culinary Institute of America. He opened his first restaurant — the Miami-based Toby’s — at the age of 22.
Soon after, the chef returned to California to solidify his culinary style: “Italian-influenced Wine Country cuisine,” according to Chiarello’s biography on his website. In the decades since, Chiarello developed numerous restaurants, cookbooks and a vineyard, the Chiarello Family Vineyards in St. Helena, often appearing on television shows like Top Chef, The Today Show, and The View, among others.
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.”