Skye Gyngell
Skye Gyngell | |
|---|---|
| Born | 6 September 1963 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Died | 22 November 2025 (aged 62) London, England |
| Spouse |
Thomas Gore
(m. 1989; div. 1996) |
| Father | Bruce Gyngell |
| Relatives |
|
| Culinary career | |
| Cooking style | European cuisine |
Rating
| |
Previous restaurant | |
Awards won
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Skye Gyngell (6 September 1963 – 22 November 2025) was an Australian chef who was best known for her work as food editor for Vogue, and for winning a Michelin star at the Petersham Nurseries Café in London. She first trained as a chef in France, and afterwards moved to Britain.
Early life
[edit]Gyngell was born in Sydney on 6 September 1963.[1] Her father was Bruce Gyngell, an Australian television executive.[2]
Career
[edit]Gyngell trained at La Varenne restaurant in Paris, France, under chef Anne Willan.[1] She then moved to work at the Dodin-Bouffant restaurant before going to work at the French House, Soho, in London.[3] She went on to work at the Dorchester under Anton Mosimann.[4] She cooked for dinner parties, including for celebrity chef Nigella Lawson.[5]
She joined the Petersham Nurseries Café as head chef at its opening in 2004,[6] having convinced the owners of the nurseries to allow her to create the "antithesis of a West End restaurant" there.[3] The restaurant, set in the grounds of Petersham House,[6] was awarded a Michelin star in the 2011 list,[7] and she created a pop-up restaurant in London in conjunction with Cloudy Bay wines later in the year.[8] After eight years at the Café, she left the restaurant in 2012.[9] In interviews she explained that she did not like the expectations that people had of a Michelin-starred restaurant and this led to her decision to quit,[10] and described the star as a "curse",[11] stating, "If I ever have another restaurant I pray we don't get a star."[12] She explained later that she regretted her comments about the Michelin star, but thought that the set-up at Petersham just did not allow for the expectations of customers to be met, describing the facilities as "cooking out of a garage".[12]
Later that year she announced a collaboration with Heckfield Place, and was named Culinary Director for the three restaurants there. In addition, she was being backed by the same investors to head a new restaurant in London.[13] She had already said that she would not turn down a new star.[12] She had declined offers to run the kitchens of Kensington Place restaurant and the café of the Serpentine Gallery.[12]
In November 2014, she opened Spring, a restaurant at Somerset House, London.[14] She wrote for The Independent on Sunday,[15] and was the food editor for magazine Vogue.[1]
Personal life and death
[edit]Gyngell married Thomas Gore in 1989. The couple divorced in 1996.[16] Gyngell had two children;[12] one daughter from her marriage with Gore, and another daughter, Evie Henderson, from a following relationship.[16] She died of an aggressive form of skin cancer, Merkel-cell carcinoma, on 22 November 2025, at the age of 62.[2][17]
Published works
[edit]- Gyngell, Skye; Lowe, Jason (2006). A Year in My Kitchen. London: Quadrille. ISBN 978-1-84400-592-5.
- Gyngell, Skye (2008). My Favourite Ingredients. London: Quadrille Publishing. ISBN 978-1-58008-050-7.
- Gyngell, Skye (2010). How I Cook. London: Quadrille. ISBN 978-1-84400-850-6.
- Gyngell, Skye; Sewell, Andy (2016). Springe. London: Quadrill. ISBN 978-1-84949-754-1.
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Ms Skye Gyngell". Debrett's. Archived from the original on 10 November 2014. Retrieved 29 July 2012.
- ^ a b "Skye Gyngell, Michelin-starred chef and early proponent of 'local' and 'seasonal'". The Daily Telegraph. 23 November 2025. Retrieved 23 November 2025.
- ^ a b "The future is female: Industry leaders and rising stars". Caterer and Hotelkeeper. 30 August 2007. Archived from the original on 29 August 2012. Retrieved 29 July 2012.
- ^ "Skye Gyngell". Red Online. Archived from the original on 22 April 2013. Retrieved 29 July 2012.
- ^ Jardine, Cassandra (5 July 2011). "'Courtney Love of cooking': Skye Gyngell opens up on heroin abuse, alcohol addiction and Nigella Lawson". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 29 July 2012.
- ^ a b "Just opened". Caterer and Hotelkeeper. 20 July 2004. Archived from the original on 18 January 2013. Retrieved 29 July 2012.
- ^ Kühn, Kerstin (20 January 2011). "Michelin 2011: Where have all the stars gone?". Caterer and Hotelkeeper. Archived from the original on 19 January 2013. Retrieved 29 July 2012.
- ^ Lane, Diane (12 July 2011). "Cloudy Bay and Skye Gyngell collaborate on pop-up shack". Caterer and Hotelkeeper. Archived from the original on 18 January 2013. Retrieved 29 July 2012.
- ^ Kühn, Kerstin (10 February 2012). "Skye Gyngell leaves Petersham Nurseries". Caterer and Hotelkeeper. Archived from the original on 18 January 2013. Retrieved 29 July 2012.
- ^ Mitchell, David (26 February 2012). "Why a Michelin star can only be a recipe for disappointment". The Observer. Retrieved 29 July 2012.
- ^ Hall, James (21 February 2012). "Skye Gyngell: curse of the Michelin star has driven me out of the kitchen". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 29 July 2012.
- ^ a b c d e "The Skye line...what Skye Gyngell is planning next". The Evening Standard. 28 June 2012. Retrieved 29 July 2012.
- ^ Harmer, Janet (29 June 2012). "Skye Gyngell to join Heckfield Place and launch restaurant in London". Caterer and Hotelkeeper. Archived from the original on 18 January 2013. Retrieved 29 July 2012.
- ^ "Spring, restaurant review: Skye Gyngell's smart new venue could hardly be more different from Petersham Nurseries". The Independent. 8 November 2013. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
- ^ "Skye Gyngell". The Independent. Archived from the original on 29 February 2012. Retrieved 29 July 2012.
- ^ a b Badshah, Nadeem (23 November 2025). "Chef Skye Gyngell, who pioneered the slow food movement, dies aged 62". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 November 2025.
- ^ Ellis, David (23 November 2025). "Celebrated chef Skye Gyngell dies at 62, as Jamie Oliver and Ravneet Gill pay tribute". The Standard. Retrieved 24 November 2025.