chef Skye Gyngell, Pioneer of teh Slow Food Movement, Dies at 62
Skye Gyngell, a celebrated cookery writer, restaurateur, and champion of the “slow food movement,” has died at the age of 62 following a battle with Merkel cell carcinoma, a rare and aggressive skin cancer. News of her death has prompted an outpouring of tributes from the culinary world.
Gyngell was born in Sydney, Australia, on September 6, 1963, to broadcaster Bruce Gyngell, the first person to appear on Australian television, and interior designer Ann Barr. She initially studied law at Sydney university before pursuing a career in cooking, training under Anne willan at the École de Cuisine La Varenne in Paris and working at the two Michelin-starred restaurant Dodin-Bouffant.
She later moved to London, honing her skills at the Dorchester under Anton Mosimann and at the French House in Soho under Fergus and Margot Henderson. Gyngell became a prominent advocate for the “slow food movement,” founded in Italy in the 1980s, emphasizing customary cooking and a “good, clean and fair” approach to eating.
Gyngell transitioned to teaching and private catering, serving clients including Nigella Lawson, Charles Saatchi, Madonna, and Guy Ritchie, and eventually became food editor of Vogue. In 2004, she launched petersham Nurseries Cafe after discovering Petersham House, Lord burlington’s 18th-century villa.she afterward opened Spring at Somerset House and the restaurants marle and Hearth at Heckfield Place in Hampshire.Marle was awarded a green Michelin star in 2022, retaining it annually since.
Last year,Gyngell revealed her diagnosis and the impact of treatment,which temporarily affected her sense of taste and smell. “Savoury foods tasted really salty,” she explained. “Anything with chilli was like the spiciest curry in the world…One teaspoon of sugar in my tea was more like 20 spoonfuls, and I couldn’t taste the tea.”
She is survived by her daughters, Holly (from her marriage to Thomas Gore, which ended in divorce in 1996) and Evie (from a relationship with James Henderson).
Nigella Lawson described herself as “heartbroken,” stating, ”However ill you know someone to be, thier death is always a shock.It’s just awful that Skye is no longer in the world. It’s a tremendous loss, and I’m heartbroken for Holly and Evie and all those who loved her and learned from her.” Cyrus Todiwala called her “a great culinary leader,” while Kylie Kwong hailed her as “one of the greatest cooks of all time.” Danielle Alvarez of the Sydney Opera House described Gyngell as “an inspiration to us all.”
