Famed chef Homaro Cantu in apparent suicide
Famed chef Homaro Cantu was found dead Tuesday on the Northwest Side of Chicago, authorities said.
A friend told CBS Chicago that Cantu's body was found Tuesday in a building where he had planned to open a brewery.
His death is being investigated as a suicide, according to police. Cantu, 38, was pronounced dead at the scene.
"I loved him dearly. It's really terrible to see him go in this way. I'm going to miss him a lot," said Trevor Rose-Hamblin, Cantu's friend and business partner.
Cantu headed Moto, which focused on inventive molecular gastronomy cuisine.
Cantu spent four years as a chef at Charlie Trotter's famed Lincoln Park restaurant before opening the critically acclaimed Moto.
An emotional Cantu joined fellow famous chef alumni at Trotter's memorial in 2013, including Graham Elliot, David LeFevre and Giuseppe Tentori.
And after Trotter's death, Cantu and other Trotter chef alums created the Trotter Project, a three-year capital campaign with dozens of former Trotter employees and family members.
Cantu served as president of the project aimed at mentoring high school and college students and teaching young children how to cook. It also served to keep Trotter's restaurant in his ownership as a flagship for the project.
As word of Cantu's death spread Tuesday, many of his famous friends took to Twitter to express their condolences.
"Please everyone, send your thoughts/prayers to the family & loved ones of chef Homaro Cantu. A great friend, a horrible loss; speechless," Graham Elliot tweeted.
"The whole city -- It's not going to be the same place without him," said Rose-Hamblin.