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BORN
1975
DIED
2024
Christopher Barnett Obituary
Los Angeles, CA - Christopher Harley Barnett was born in Portland, Oregon on January 15, 1975, to Zandie and Harley Barnett. Chris grew up in Concord, New Hampshire with his older siblings, Tracey and Michael Barnett and his best and lifelong, friend Chris Stinson.
Chris worked at Vercelli's in his hometown, where he learned the art of making pasta from scratch, and from there, his culinary journey began. Chris then spent summers behind the stoves at The Barley Neck Inn, a French restaurant in Cape Cod, MA. When Christopher was 21, he moved to San Francisco to further his own creativity in the kitchen. The formative moment of his career happened in 1997 with an opportunity to work under the tutelage of James Beard Award winner, Chef Jeremiah Tower, at the renowned Stars Restaurant.
Chris then went on to spend a year in Paris at the two Michelin-star Relais D'Auteuil, returning to the Southern California restaurant scene in 2001. As Executive Chef at Primitivo on Venice's Abbot Kinney Boulevard in 2002, he led the small-plates movement in the burgeoning restaurant district. He honed his management skills at the Hotel Bel-Air and at the Four Seasons Hotel at Beverly Hills, and in between, he spent time staging in Italy. After opening Stir Market in Los Angeles, he became the Executive Chef at The Culver Hotel from where he retired in 2017.
In all those restaurants, Chris not only expanded his knowledge but loved to share all that he knew with the younger cooks in his kitchen. He was an inspiration and a mentor to dozens of chefs during the course of his career.
Chris married Clare De Briere in 2012 and they had a wonderful life, traveling, cooking together, and entertaining with their two black labs, living just over the hill, never far, from his brother Michael. Although divorced in 2023, Clare and Chris remained close friends.
Chris passed away on Friday, January 12, 2024, just three days before his 49th birthday. He is survived by his family, his friends, and those chefs who will continue to be inspired by him.
In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to The Croft Fund at The Advocacy Group Project - https://tagproject.community/make-a-donation
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
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