Andrew Fairlie MasterChef Star and Celebrity Chef Dies Age 54

Masterchef Star Andrew Fairlie died on Jan. 22, 2019 after a battle with Brain Cancer. He was 54 years old.

The chef was diagnosed in 2005 with a brain tumor and had years of harsh radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and surgery. In June, he was informed that the cancer was too far advanced and that nothing else could be done.

Fairlie, who was born in Scotland, began his career as a chef training with Chef Keith Podmore. At age 20, he was awarded the first Roux Scholarship which gave him the chance to move to France to train with renowned French chef Michel Guerard.

In 2001, he returned to Scotland and set up Restaurant Andrew Fairlie in the five star Gleneagles Hotel in Perthshire. It became the only restaurant in Scotland to earn two Michelin stars, the first being a year after it opened. Restaurant Andrew Fairlie is also one of only 15 two-star Michelin restaurants in the UK.

In 2002, Fairlie was named Scottish Chef of the year, and in 2008 he cooked for Queen Elizabeth when she was at the G8 Summit. In 2011 he was one of seven chefs in the UK to be named Relais & Chateaux Grand Chef du Monde.

Fairlie never personally competed on “MasterChef.” However, in “MasterChef: The Professionals,” his restaurant was featured in the semi-final round, and two contestants cooked alongside him at his restaurant. The contestants worked during a dinner shift and the episode aired on BBC Two in December 2011.

Fairlie said at the time he was a supporter and fan of “MasterChef” and he was honored to have the show filmed at his restaurant. He also said he was very impressed by the talents of the two contestants. He thought “MasterChef: The Professionals” was a positive influence in the cooking community and he wished the contestants success.

In November, after he announced that the brain tumor he had was terminal, he resigned his position at the Gleneagles Hotel. He felt that he would be a liability to the restaurant due to his deteriorating condition.

He told The Times that giving up cooking in his restaurant’s kitchen was the hardest part of having a terminal illness. He called a staff meeting to inform the staff he was leaving. He described how emotional he felt knowing he would never be back.

After stepping down from the restaurant, he married his wife Kate in December 2018. His wife and two daughters Leah and Ilona tweeted on Twitter a statement on behalf of the family saying that their hearts were broken that he is no longer in their lives but are thankful that he was there. He was a loving husband, father, son, brother, and friend and everybody were lucky to have him.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon Tweeted on Twitter Fairlie’s legacy be an inspiration to new world-class chefs who are starting their careers.

A memorial service in honor of Fairlie will be held at the Gleneagles Hotel later in 2019. Funeral arrangements have not been announced.

Written By Barbara Sobel

Sources:

Mirror: Andrew Fairlie dead – MasterChef: The Professionals star dies from brain tumour aged 54
The Sun: RIP ‘KITCHEN GENIUS’ Masterchef star Andrew Fairlie dead after cancer battle
Daily Mail: MasterChef: The Professionals star and two Michelin-starred chef Andrew Fairlie dies from brain tumour aged 55

Featured and Top Image Courtesy of Tom Parnell’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License