One of the world's top chefs, Benoit Violier, is dead at 44 of apparent suicide
In December, Chef Benoit Violier's restaurant near Lausanne, Switzerland, was named the world's best by France's La Liste, which ranks the world's 1,000 best eateries. Swiss police say Violier, 44, was found dead Sunday afternoon in his home in Crissier, the town that also houses Violier's Restaurant de l'Hotel de Ville, rated three stars by Michelin. "It would seem that he has ended his life with a firearm," the police said in a statement. Violier had worked in the restaurant since 1996, and took it over along with his wife, Brigitte, in 2012.
Violier was born to a winemaking family in western France, and moved to Paris in 1991 to study with top chefs. He earned a reputation for inventiveness and perfectionism, especially in preparing wild game, and was named 2013 chef of the year by the influential Gault and Millau guide. Police aren't releasing any more details about his death, but French media speculates that Violier was upset over a slight demotion in the Gault and Millau guide and fear that he was about to lose a Michelin star, The New York Times reports. His apparent suicide also comes just a few months after the sudden death of his mentor Philippe Rochat, the previous head chef at the Restaurant de l'Hotel de Ville.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Chinese AI chatbot's rise slams US tech stocks
Speed Read The sudden popularity of a new AI chatbot from Chinese startup DeepSeek has sent U.S. tech stocks tumbling
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US port strike averted with tentative labor deal
Speed Read The strike could have shut down major ports from Texas to Maine
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Biden expected to block Japanese bid for US Steel
Speed Read The president is blocking the $14 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel by Japan's Nippon Steel, citing national security concerns
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Judges block $25B Kroger-Albertsons merger
Speed Read The proposed merger between the supermarket giants was stalled when judges overseeing two separate cases blocked the deal
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Rupert Murdoch loses 'Succession' court battle
Speed Read Murdoch wanted to give full control of his empire to son Lachlan, ensuring Fox News' right-wing editorial slant
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Bitcoin surges above $100k in post-election rally
Speed Read Investors are betting that the incoming Trump administration will embrace crypto
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Enron mystery: 'sick joke' or serious revival?
Speed Read 23 years after its bankruptcy filing, the Texas energy firm has announced its resurrection
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US charges Indian tycoon with bribery, fraud
Speed Read Indian billionaire Gautam Adani has been indicted by US prosecutors for his role in a $265 million scheme to secure solar energy deals
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published