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Top Chef Guest Judge and Top Chef Masters Contestant Mark Peel Has Passed Away
The famed chef who appeared on Bravo's Top Chef passed away at age 66 after a brief battle with cancer.
Mark Peel, who competed on Top Chef Masters and also appeared as a guest judge during several appearances on Bravo's Top Chef, passed away at the age of 66 on Sunday (June 20). According to the L.A. Times and Deadline, he passed away following a battle with an aggressive form of cancer; he was reportedly diagnosed only nine days ago.
The California-born chef's international cooking career spanned stints in kitchens in Los Angeles, New York, and France. In addition to his appearances on Bravo, Peel was a highly accomplished and world-renowned chef who has worked at some of the most prestigious restaurants, including at Ma Maison under Wolfgang Puck early in his career; he also worked with Puck at Spago. During his career, Peel went to cook at Michael's where he met his ex-wife and fellow famed chef, Nancy Silverton. He appeared on Top Chef in Season 17 during an episode that took place at the eatery.
Together, Peel and Silverton combined culinary forces and opened the L.A.-area hotspot and James Beard-winning restaurant Campanile. The former couple, who divorced in 2004, also founded La Brea Bakery.
Peel wrote several cookbooks throughout his career, including co-authoring two cookbooks with Silverton, Mark Peel & Nancy Silverton At Home: Two Chefs Cook for Family and Friends and The Food of Campanile. He also penned the cookbook, New Classic Family Dinners, solo.
Peel is survived by three children with Silverton and two children with his wife, TV host, comedian, and blogger Daphne Brogdon, who survives him.
