Top chef Benoit Violier found dead in Switzerland

Violier (44) ran three-Michelin star Restaurant de l’Hotel de Ville near Lausanne

Benoit Violier, chef of the Restaurant de l’Hôtel de Ville in Crissier near Lausanne, Switzerland. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images
Benoit Violier, chef of the Restaurant de l’Hôtel de Ville in Crissier near Lausanne, Switzerland. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

Top chef Benoit Violier, whose restaurant in Switzerland recently topped a list of the world's best, has been found dead aged 44.

A police statement said Violier was found dead in his home of an apparent suicide in the municipality of Crissier in Lausanne late on Sunday afternoon.

An investigation has been launched to determine the exact circumstances of the death, police said.

Violier's three-Michelin star Restaurant de l'Hotel de Ville in Crissier served dishes such as saddle of Pyrenean young lamb and crispy Landes duck foie gras.

Last year it was ranked first on a French government-sponsored list of the world’s top 1,000 restaurants.

PA

  • Join The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date

  • Sign up for push alerts to get the best breaking news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone

  • Listen to In The News podcast daily for a deep dive on the stories that matter