24 November 2023 , 14:38
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Russell Norman, restaurateur and TV chef, has died at the age of 57 following a short illness in hospital.
It's understood that Russell's wife and his three children, Ollie, Martha and Mabel, were at his bedside at the time of his death, which comes just weeks after his fourth cookbook hit shelves. His business partner Richard Beatty has since paid tribute with an emotional statement, telling fans: "It is with the greatest sadness I announce the loss of my best friend Russell Norman."
It remains unknown how the talented chef died. Russell was renowned for his Italian-inspired cuisine, and had opened multiple restaurants and written several cookbooks during his impressive career in the food industry. He was best known for the POLPO chain of eateries, as well as their successful spin-offs, Spuntino and Polpetto.
Russell Norman has died after a short illnessHe was born in Perivale, and as a small child, moved to Hounslow with his younger brothers. "I spent my formative years there, only leaving to go to Sunderland Polytechnic. I studied there for three years and worked in the North East for a year, as a community arts officer in East Durham. It didn’t suit me at all and I came back to London, looking for work," he told the Food and Travel magazine in 2021.
BRUTTO, Russell's laid-back Italian restaurant in Farringdon will remain open under the custodianship of Norman's son, Ollie, and his wife, Jules, according to Restaurant Magazine.
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In 2018, Russell revealed that one of his favourite dishes to cook with his family was baked potatoes. "We’ll have tinned tuna, sweetcorn and mayonnaise on one half and baked beans on the other. If I’m feeling adventurous, I’ll make a fancy coleslaw," he told the Guardian. As for the inspiration behind his restaurant's menus, Russell said it was "the 95-year-old Italian granny."
He also won Waterstones Book of the Year Award for his 2012 cookbook, Polpo: A Venetian Cookbook (of Sorts).
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