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Story By: Joseph Golder, Sub-Editor: Joe Golder, Agency: Newsflash
A top Michelin star chef who was one of the first to start cooking on television and hosted royalty has died of COVID-19.
Guy Van Cauteren, 70, ran the ‘t Laurierblad restaurant in Berlare, a municipality located in the Belgian province of East Flanders, for 34 years.
He earned two Michelin stars and was the first Flemish chef to cook on TV, according to Belgian newspaper HLN.
Mr Van Cauteren was the son of a butcher and he opened his famous ‘t Laurierblad restaurant in 1979 in a rundown theatre room next to the butchers.
He was known for his pates, terrines, stews and sweetbreads and was deemed to be ahead of the curve, going back to basics and making wholesome meals at a time when the gastronomy market was heading towards more avant-garde dishes.
Local media said that he had been suffering from health issues since the beginning of the year and that he passed away at his home in Knokke, a town in the Belgian province of West Flanders.
A legend in the Belgian culinary world, Van Cauteren earned two Michelin stars in the 1980s, making him a household name in the region.
In 1993, he won a bronze medal at the Bocuse d’Or, a renowned international cooking competition that takes place in the French city of Lyon and has been called the gastronomical equivalent of the Olympics.
The author of numerous cookbooks, Van Cauteren is remembered in local media for his hard-working ethic and great passion. He even hosted royalty after opening a hotel.
Dutch Queen Maxima, who at the time was still a princess, reportedly stayed at his hotel on her bachelorette weekend.
Van Cauteren closed his restaurant in 2013 so that he could spend more time with his family. He had been battling against a “lingering illness” for some time and he also caught COVID-19, according to HLN.
He passed away on 25th November.
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