Swiss master chef Philippe Rochat dies while cycling

Philippe Rochat, one of Switzerland’s most famous chefs, died Wednesday at the age of 61 after apparently falling ill while cycling, police said.

The star chef and cycling enthusiast had gone out on a bike trip Wednesday morning with two other people and died, “likely after falling ill”, a spokesman for the regional police in the southwestern canton of Vaud told AFP.

Rochat ran one of Switzerland’s best restaurants from 1996 to 2012: the renowned L’Hotel de Ville a Crissier near Lausanne, which has three Michelin stars.

In 2000, the establishment was crowned “the best restaurant in the world” by the prestigious Gault & Millau guide, which still gives it 19 out of a possible 20 points.

“I have always sought perfection, work well done, the gesture well done,” he told Switzerland’s public broadcaster when he left the restaurant three years ago, after working there for 32 years.

After that he ran a catering business and a consulting business.

His sudden death came 13 years after his 36-year-old wife, Swiss marathon runner Franziska Rochat-Moser, was killed in an avalanche while skiing in the Swiss Alps.