Beloved Australian celebrity chef and MasterChef star Greg Malouf has died aged 64, several years after getting a donor heart transplant.
The iconic culinary expert was born in Melbourne to Lebanese parents and developed a reputation as ‘Australia’s godfather of Middle Eastern cuisine’, due to his renowned Arabic dishes.
Former MasterChef Australia judge George Calombaris, 45, confirmed the heartbreaking news of Greg’s passing on Instagram on Saturday.
Alongside a beaming picture of Greg in his chef’s outfit, George wrote a touching tribute to his long-time friend.
‘Along with so many, today is a sad day for us all. We lost a giant of a human @gregmaloufchef,’ George began.
‘A beautiful man. Yes, an amazing chef. I send love to his family.
‘I will miss the banter of all things Greek vs Lebanese food. RIP great man. See you on the other side. GC xxx’
Many of Greg’s celebrity friends quickly took to the comment section to share their sadness at his passing.
Beloved Australian celebrity chef and MasterChef star Greg Malouf (pictured) has died aged 64, several years after getting a donor heart transplant
‘One of the giants,’ wrote fellow celebrity chef Miguel Maestre.
Meanwhile, The Great Australian Bake Off star Matt Moran posted a crying emoji.
Australian hummus king Tom Sarafian also joined in the chorus, writing: ‘Greg was one of the most influential chefs Australia has ever seen. He put the misunderstood and too often under appreciated food of the Levant into the limelight.’
Greg was well-known to lovers of Australian food for his frequent guest appearances on reality TV, including stints of MasterChef Australia and Food Safari.
The iconic culinary expert was born in Melbourne to Lebanese parents and developed a reputation as ‘Australia’s godfather of Middle Eastern cuisine’, due to his renowned Arabic dishes. Pictured on MasterChef
He was a Michelin-star rated chef who ran one of Melbourne’s most popular Middle Eastern restaurants for years, which frequently had A-list stars visit.
The renowned expert was frequently publicly recognised for his work in the kitchen, winning The Age Good Food Guide Chef’s Hat Awards four times from 1991 – 2010.
Greg also authored eight cookbooks throughout his career, in which he shared the secrets to easily cooking delicious Levantine food in the kitchen – He is survived by his ex-wife and fellow culinary expert Lucy Malouf.
Many of Greg’s celebrity friends quickly took to the comment section to share their sadness at his passing. Pictured with fellow chef Tom Sarafian