Michael Chiarello was an acclaimed chef in California’s Napa Valley who authored numerous cookbooks, produced popular olive oils, and starred on the Food Network’s “Easy Entertaining” among many other TV appearances.
- Died: October 6, 2023 (Who else died on October 6?)
- Details of death: Died at Queen of the Valley Medical Center in Napa, California, following an acute allergic reaction, at the age of 61.
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Michael Chiarello’s legacy
Born and raised in Northern California, Chiarello was inspired by his mother’s home cooking and his family’s Southern Italian heritage to pursue cuisine as a professional calling. He studied at the Culinary Institute of America, and just three years after he graduated, Food & Wine Magazine named him its Chef of the Year in 1985.
Over the next several decades, Chiarello’s culinary artistry garnered devoted fans through his restaurants, including Tra Vigne and Bottega in Napa Valley. He launched a line of popular olive oils; opened Chiarello Family Vineyards in 1999; and wrote cookbooks including “Bottega,” “At Home with Michael Chiarello,” and “Michael Chiarello’s Live Fire.”
He became known to a wider American audience through many television series over the years, including PBS’s “Season by Season,” the Food Network’s “Easy Entertaining with Michael Chiarello” and “The Next Iron Chef,” and Bravo’s “Top Chef Masters.”
Tributes to Michael Chiarello
Full obituary: The Mercury News | Napa Valley Register
