Bill Granger, renowned Australian cook, dies aged 54

[Celerity]

Globally successful restaurateur and food writer known as the ‘godfather of avocado toast’ dies peacefully in London

https://www.theguardian.com/food/2023/dec/27/bill-granger-renowned-australian-cook-dies-aged-54



The Australian cook and restaurateur Bill Granger has died in London aged 54. Fellow cooks, celebrities and lovers of his restaurants paid tribute after the family of the food writer confirmed on Instagram he had died peacefully in hospital on Christmas Day. Granger’s wife, Natalie Elliott, and three daughters, Edie, Inès and Bunny, were at his bedside, the post said.

Granger was born in Melbourne and became a global restaurateur and food writer with a career spanning more than three decades, having taught himself to cook. He was remembered on Wednesday as the person primarily responsible for the global popularity of avocado on toast and developing a distinctive style of Australian breakfast and brunch – so much so that he became widely known as the “godfather” of avocado toast.

Granger dropped out of art school in 1993 and moved to Sydney where he opened his first restaurant, bills, in Darlinghurst. The corner cafe became known for its fresh flavours and breakfast food, served at a central communal table. In 1999 he and Elliott launched their business globally, which eventually encompassed 19 restaurants in Australia, the UK, Japan and Korea.

Granger wrote 14 cookbooks, made five television series and was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia last January. “He will be remembered as the ‘King of Breakfast’, for making unpretentious food into something special filled with sunshine and for spurring the growth of Australian informal and communal eating around the world,” his family wrote on social media. “He will be deeply missed by all, with his loss most profoundly felt by his adored family, who are grateful for all the love and support that has been given.”

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