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Photo by Lisa McLaughlin
Like much of the culinary world, we were shocked and saddened to learn of the death of groundbreaking science-minded chef Homaro Cantu, best known for his Michelin-starred restaurant Moto. I first met Omar over a decade ago when he showed up in my office at TIME magazine to talk with me about Moto. As he fed me foam packing peanuts which tasted like buttered popcorn, had me chew on a picture of a cow that tasted just like a seared steak, and cooked a piece of fish in a see-through box on my desk, I was impressed by his creativity, passion, intelligence and enthusiasm. Over the years I have followed his work, his innovative designs, his work with the Miracle Berry, his founding of the Trotter Project. I last saw him in the Fall when he was in NYC at the StarChefs International Chefs Congress where he came to talk about the Trotter Project and pay homage to his mentor. We talked about indoor farming and his quest to rid the world of sugar over consumption. I was once again impressed with his boundless positive energy and world-changing optimism - I've met few people in our industry who were so generous with time, ideas, enthusiasm, and genuine interest. Omar truly believed that each idea and encounter could make the world a better place. He will be missed. Here's a roundup of memories from others.