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| Bill Granger | |
Bill Granger, an chef and writer "who combined an easy Australian manner with a talent for making simple food sing, selling the world on the infinite potential of breakfast," died December 25, the New York Times reported. He was 54. Granger was the frontman, originator, and head chef of a Sydney corner cafe called Bills, which eventually expanded to nine outlets across three countries, as well as an offshoot, Granger & Co., with five locations in London.
Though he wrote about a dozen books, Granger became best known for two dishes in particular: a zesty avocado on toast, which his cafe is often credited with being the first to serve, and scrambled eggs with luxuriously creamy curds. The Times noted that the avocado toast "would take on a life of its own, becoming an international food trend."
Jane Morrow, his publisher at Murdoch Books, said that in many respects, Granger exemplified the very best of his country's national attitude: warm, open, and generous, with an understated commitment to excellence: "He reflected that back to Australians themselves, and then he sold that to the world--and that gave us, as Australians, confidence."
In his most recent book, Australian Food (2020), Granger wrote: "I had no formal training as a chef, and I've always said that, ironically, this was a great training. I wasn't tied down by any rules about food and fine dining. I didn't even know the rules I wasn't supposed to be breaking. It puts me on a parallel with the Australian way of eating: joyfully lacking in fixed assumptions or strict culinary history."
Granger's other books include Bill's Food (2002), Bill's Open Kitchen (2003), Simply Bill (2005), Bill Granger Every Day (2006), Holiday (2009), Bill's Basics (2010), Bill's Everyday Asian (2011), Bill Granger Easy (2012), and Bill's Italian Food (2014).
A HarperCollins spokesperson told the Bookseller: "HarperCollins was proud to publish two books with Bill--Bill Granger Easy and Bill's Italian Food--which captured his relaxed and joyful approach to food, which worked as well on the page as it did in his restaurants. We are terribly sorry to hear of Bill's death, far too young, and our thoughts are with his family and friends at this time."