Skye Gyngell obituary

"The pioneering chef Skye Gyngell, who has died of Merkel cell carcinoma, a rare skin cancer, aged 62, was the first Australian woman to win a Michelin star, an early supporter of the slow food movement, and a champion of charities such as StreetSmart and the Felix Project. Gyngell was a quiet radical. She came to public attention when she opened the Petersham Nurseries Cafe in south-west London in 2004."

"Until that point, she had been honing her own distinctive cooking personality that emphasised the quality of ingredients and the simplicity of their treatment and presentation. Her dishes were light, graceful and deceptively simple, but were founded on a serious understanding of how flavours and textures worked together, sometimes in surprising ways. She had already built a reputation as a chef, cooking for such private clients as Nigella Lawson, Charles Saatchi, Madonna and Guy Ritchie."

"At the same time she served as food editor at Vogue magazine until 2003. Gyngell's friends, Francesco and Gael Boglione, had bought Petersham House, a Queen Anne villa on the River Thames just outside Richmond. In 2004 they asked her to run the cafe that was part of the garden centre in the grounds. She fell in love at first sight and agreed to cook there. Gyngell meant to stay for just a few months but ended up being there for eight years."

Skye Gyngell was an Australian-born chef celebrated for ingredient-focused, simple yet subtly inventive dishes grounded in deep understanding of flavours and textures. She rose to prominence after opening Petersham Nurseries Cafe in south-west London in 2004, earning awards such as Time Out and Tatler, and a Michelin star in 2011. The Michelin recognition brought both acclaim and heightened customer expectations, and Gyngell left Petersham the following year. She had previously cooked for high-profile private clients and served as food editor at Vogue until 2003. An early supporter of the slow food movement, she championed charities such as StreetSmart and the Felix Project. She died aged 62 of Merkel cell carcinoma.

Read at www.theguardian.com