Dubai - His family issued a statement today.
Published: Tue 26 Nov 2019, 11:00 PM
Updated: Thu 28 Nov 2019, 4:57 PM
Celebrity chef and TV presenter, Gary Rhodes, who ran two popular restaurants in Dubai, died here at the age of 59.
According to a family statement, Rhodes died on Tuesday "with his beloved wife Jennie by his side".
The celebrity chef ran Rhodes W1 and Rhodes Twenty10 in Dubai, reported BBC.
Jaideep Bhatia, PR director of the Grosvenor House Dubai, which housed Rhodes W1, said Rhodes was working "until the day he died". The grieving family members thanked everyone for their support and asked for privacy in the statement.
Other popular celebrity chefs took to Twitter to pay their tribute to Rhodes.
Gordon Ramsay wrote on Twitter: 'We lost a fantastic chef today in Gary Rhodes. He was a chef who put British Cuisine on the map. Sending all the love and prayers to your wife and kids. You'll be missed'.
While Indian Michelin star Chef, Vikas Khanna, tweeted: 'Sad news today for the culinary world. The legend of British Cuisine, Gary Rhodes passed away. He was one of the greats and I was always honored to meet him at Grosvenor House, Dubai. #RIP'.
Simon Hulstone, British chef, wrote: 'Very sad to get a message this morning from Dubai informing me of the brilliant Chef and mentor Gary Rhodes passing last night. What a shining star for British gastronomy. Rest well Chef'.
From a Dubai co-worker
"Chef Gary Rhodes was an excellent chef but more than that he was a great human being," said Dubai resident Terence Vaz who worked alongside Rhodes at both the Grosvenor House and Le Royal Meridien Beach Resort and Spa between 2012 and 2014. "He was the first Michelin chef I had ever met in my life, however he brought cake up to our table and checked on us and made sure we were having a good time.
"His conversations were not only about food but he was genuinely interested to know more about us and I think that struck a chord with me.
"I will always remember him as a person who was full of life and always made time to be a part of the memories of everyone around him."
A local school group mourns
"The Dubai British Schools Group, part of the Taaleem family of schools, are truly saddened to hear of the sudden death of Chef Gary Rhodes OBE. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and colleagues at this most tragic of times.
"Gary donated a great deal of his time, boundless energy and inspiration to develop a unique school dining experience that combined healthy, delicious food with social skills and mealtime etiquette at our Dubai British School Jumeirah Park (DBS JP).
"He and his team worked tirelessly stating that 'We want the students at DBS JP to be happy and enjoy their lunch. That's what eating is all about; lunch should be a social gathering and an occasion. Our aim is to make children look forward to the next day's meal, and to bring together friends in a family-style service with great conversation across the table.' This, he certainly achieved, and his concept and legacy has lived on and his vision has been lauded by many as 'the way forward' for the school dining experience of the future."
Brendon Fulton, Executive Principal of the Dubai British Schools Group, said: "We will remember him fondly and his memory will forever live on at our school through the Food Technology Suite that was named in his honour. Our community will always associate him with the practical demonstrations that he gave in this suite, his humour, friendliness, inspirati
Rhodes was Born in south London in 1960, and grew up in Kent. He trained at Thanet Technical College and his first professional job was at the Amsterdam Hilton. He went on to open his first restaurant in 1997 and was made an OBE in 2006.