Bill Granger, a chef and restaurateur from Australia, passed away in London at the age of 54. Following the family’s Instagram confirmation that the culinary writer had passed away quietly in the hospital on Christmas Day, his admirers and fellow chefs paid tribute.
A report stated that Granger’s bedside was attended by his wife, Natalie Elliott, and three daughters, Edie, Inès, and Bunny. Born in Melbourne, Granger taught himself to cook and went on to become a successful restaurateur and food writer with a career spanning over 30 years.
On Wednesday, he was recognized as the man who popularized avocado toast around the world and gave Australia its own unique breakfast and brunch style; in fact, he became famous as the “godfather” of avocado toast.
After leaving art school in 1993, Granger relocated to Sydney and launched his first restaurant, bills, in Darlinghurst. The breakfast fare and fresh flavors offered at the corner cafe’s community table quickly gained fame. He and Elliott went worldwide in 1999 with their business, which grew to include nineteen eateries in four countries: Korea, Japan, the United Kingdom, and Australia.
The Medal of the Order of Australia was bestowed upon Granger last January, and she has written fourteen recipes and produced five television shows.
His family paid tribute to him on social media, writing, “He will be remembered as the ‘King of Breakfast’,” for elevating simple meals to a “special something” that was “filled with sunshine” and for encouraging the spread of “Australian informal and communal eating” internationally.
“He will be deeply missed by all, with his loss most profoundly felt by his adored family, who are grateful for all the love and support that has been given.” After hearing the news, Nigella Lawson expressed her “heartbreak” on social media. “How horrifying.”
“A wonderful human [and] kind calm soul” was how Jamie Oliver described Granger. “[He] had an [extraordinary] ease and style in cooking that could only come from Australia,” Oliver wrote. “Many moons ago I remember going to his first Sydney restaurant in Darlinghurst … [it was] years ahead of its time.”
With locations in Chelsea, Clerkenwell, Notting Hill, Kings Cross, and Marylebone, Granger & Co. was born in London. In a Twitter post, Australian writer Kathy Lette gushed about Granger, calling him “the most gentle, charming, humble man” whose eateries welcomed many locals.
“Most of all,” Hugh Jackman and his ex-girlfriend Deborra-Lee Furness expressed their regret at losing Granger’s friendship. In a united statement, they praised his remarkable talent, infectious joy, ability to unite people, and unwavering dedication to his family.
The news was so devastating, according to Gwyneth Paltrow. “A really lovely bloke and an inspiration,” said food writer and ex-MasterChef Australia host Matt Preston of Granger. “Together he (with Natalie by his side) helped shape the image of modern Australian food around the world.”
On the other hand, Granger was praised as a guy who “changed the entire breakfast game” by Darren Robertson, Christine Mansfield, James Martin, Hetty McKinnon, and Mark Best, among other chefs and cookbook authors who expressed their condolences on social media.
Celebrity chef and TV broadcaster Adam Liaw called Granger “arguably [the] most influential pioneer of modern Australian food” in an X editorial. “His ‘sunny’ (his word, not mine) codification of Australian cafe culture at bills is the model on which every Australian cafe around the world is now built. Bloody great guy, too.”
Granger “defined an era in food for so many of us in Sydney and beyond,” according to Neale Whitaker, the founding editor of cuisine Illustrated and delightful magazines. According to David Prior, a family friend of the Grangers and a former editor of Conde Nast Traveller, “the inspiration, impact, and importance of what Bill and Nat created” cannot be overstated.
It brought about a shift in our society that was hopeful, subtly intelligent, and completely egalitarian when it came to food—not a fine dining one or a canon of rigid recipes, but something quite else. When someone asked Bill about Australian cuisine, he turned it into an assertion.
Through Granger and Co., he initially altered the culinary culture of Australia; from there, he spread his ideas to London, where they inspired a plethora of restaurants. While it’s true that no one ever managed to top Bill’s recipes, designs, or methods, the truth remains that he was always nothing but courteous and never boasted about his work.
Even though his insatiable curiosity and impeccable taste caused the original DNA of that cheery corner cafe to mutate over time, word got out all over the globe about it. Managing director of Hermès in the country and former editor of Harper’s Bazaar Australia Karin Upton Baker remembered Granger as “full of light,” expressing the affection felt by many in the Australian fashion business for him.
“My babies came with me to Bills for breakfast after many nights of lost sleep,” she wrote. “And there was beautiful Bill smiling and charming and making delicious things to get us through the day. Never forget.” A “wonderful man, with a wonderful legacy” was what Kirstie Clements, the former editor of Vogue Australia, had to say about Granger.
“Remembering that first shared table in Darlinghurst … Condolences to his family and to all the Bills staff ❤️”. Tanya Plibersek, a member of parliament for Sydney and minister for the environment, expressed her deep sadness over Bill Granger’s passing in an Instagram post. Many people have found joy in his cafes and publications. Symbolic of Sydney. My deepest sympathies go out to his loved ones and friends.
City of Sydney councillor Linda Scott also posted a tribute on Instagram, saying: “Sydney wouldn’t be Sydney without bills. Thanks for everything, Bill Granger. Your breakfasts reshaped our @cityofsydney Darlinghurst streets, and your cookbooks transformed our kitchens. You’ll be so missed. Vale.”
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