Celebrated chef Bill Granger has died at age 54

Australian chef, restaurateur and food writer Bill Granger has died, aged 54.

Granger passed away on Christmas Day in London, reportedly of cancer, after being diagnosed several months ago.

His family shared the news on Instagram, saying: “A dedicated husband and father, Bill died peacefully in hospital with his wife Natalie Elliott and three daughters, Edie, Inès and Bunny at his bedside in their adopted home of London.”

Bill Granger was born in Melbourne in 1969, moving to Sydney in the late 1980s to study art. Working as a waiter on the side of study, he taught himself to cook and in 1993 opened his first restaurant called Bills in Darlinghurst. 

Locals and tourists would flock to Bills for its legendary breakfasts, served at the famous central communal table, which helped kickstart the trend of communal dining.

Bills Surry Hills then opened, then Bills in Woollahra. Bills in Surry Hills was one of the first restaurants I ever dined in after moving to Sydney in 1994 and it truly was an enjoyable experience dining there every time.

Since the mid-1990s, the Bills name has been synonymous with good food and good vibes, with other restaurants under various monikers opening in Seoul, Hawaii, Tokyo and London.

In 2014, Bill moved to London to settle with his family.

Since first teaching himself how to cook, Bill Granger has authored 14 cookbooks and made five TV series on the art of cooking. His was a life fully lived.

Tributes have been flowing in online from chefs including Jamie Oliver, who commented on Instagram: “This is devastating news, I’m so sad to hear this, what a guy he was … a wonderful human, kind calm soul… I admired everything he represented in food. I remember the first time I met him many moons ago, he couldn’t have been nicer and his food so good.”

Amen to that.

Antonino Tati