Benoit Violier, considered by many in the food world to be the best chef on the planet, was found dead on Sunday of an apparent suicide.
He was 44 years old.
Violier had been the owner of Restaurant de l’Hotel de Ville since 2012.
A renowned three-star establishment located in the small Swiss village of Crissier, the restaurant was ranked as best in the world in late 2015 by the latest Michelin Guide.
(This gastronomic booklet is the French foreign ministry’s answer to the Britain-based World’s 50 Best Restaurants.)
Not many details regarding Violier’s death have been made public at this time, with Swiss police simply releasing the following statement:
“Late in the afternoon, police… went to Crissier where they discovered at his home the body of Mr Benoit Violier.”
Vionier – who formerly worked for chef Joël Robuchon in Paris – told Swiss newspaper Le Temps recently that he had been deeply affected by the death of his “two fathers” last year.
The chef lost his biological father last April; three months later, his longtime mentor, Philippe Rochat (the chef he succeeded at the Restaurant de l’Hotel de Ville) also passed away.
Authorities are continuing to investigate this passing.
Via statement, Violier’s family has asked for privacy “to be allowed to mourn in peace.”
We send them our condolences.
