Vancouver celebrity chef Anthony Sedlak dead at 29
Vancouver-based celebrity chef Anthony Sedlak has died at the age of 29. The Food Network star, cookbook author, and restaurant owner passed away from an undiagnosed medical condition at his North Vancouver home July 6.
Sedlak began his culinary journey at the age of 13, working at the cafeteria atop Grouse Mountain. By 16, he had moved into the kitchen at Grouse’s fine-dining restaurant, the Grouse Nest (now the Observatory). While enrolled in the culinary arts program at North Vancouver’s Carson Graham Secondary, he completed an apprenticeship program at Vancouver Community College.
At 20, Sedlak left Canada to hone his skills at London’s La Trompette, a French restaurant with one Michelin Star, before returning to North Vancouver to assume the role of sous chef at Grouse Mountain’s the Observatory. In the following years, Sedlak went on to win a silver medal representing Canada in the Hans Bueschken World Junior Chef Challenge in New Zealand, win the Food Network’s Superstar Chef Challenge II, star in four seasons of his own Food Network cooking show The Main, and publish a cookbook by the same name.
In 2011, Sedlak opened the American Cheesesteak Co. in downtown Vancouver. More recently, he was a judge on Food Network Canada’s Family Cook Off, a food competition show shot in Vancouver. Sedlak was working on reinventing the restaurant menus at Toronto’s Don Valley Hotel & Suites.
A private funeral service for Sedlak’s family and friends will be held in Vancouver.
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Comments
5 Comments
Sheila (Maddy Loves)
Jul 9, 2012 at 10:00am
WHAT? omg... RIP. We'll all miss him; he was quite the personality.
Plum Duff
Jul 9, 2012 at 10:41am
I had hoped to meet him one day- what a loss.
29 is way too young.
Mike M
Jul 9, 2012 at 1:28pm
How sad!!! What a tragedy. I truly hope he didn't suffer. He seemed like such a personality.
KyleYG
Jul 10, 2012 at 3:05pm
He was a friend, and a damn good person. He brightened any room he walked into. What a loss, rest easy Anthony.
dman
Jul 11, 2012 at 8:30pm
And he made a damn good cheesesteak!!!