Howard Kleinberg, winner of Top Chef Season 3, passed away on Tuesday, July 26. Bravo announced the 46-year-old’s death on its social media account, writing:
“The #TopChef family is heartbroken to learn of Howard Kleinberg’s untimely death from Season 3.” Howie’s love of cooking touched so many people and our hearts go out to his family and friends.”
Kleiberg finished eighth in the third season of the famous program and went on to build his own restaurant in Miami. His father, mother, sister and Skye, his rescue dog, survived him.
How did Howard Kleinberg die? Cause of death
According to Susan Kleinberg of the Miami Herald, Howard died of a heart attack. She also stated:
“I’m just now learning how many lives he’s impacted.” He was married to the love of his life, which is cooking.”
It is not clear if he has had any health problems in the past, and his family members have not yet revealed any details. Kleinberg’s funeral is scheduled for Tuesday, and donations may be sent to Feeding South Florida or the animal charity Bullies-N-Beyond Rescue.
Who was Howard Kleinberg?
According to the Miami Herald, Howard Kleinberg enrolled in culinary school at Johnson & Wales University in North Miami. He began his culinary career in the kitchen of the Intercontinental Hotel in downtown Miami. Kleinberg rose to prominence after finishing in seventh place on Top Chef Season 3. Bulldog Barbecue, his second restaurant, debuted in Miami. According to Howard’s obituary, his enthusiasm for barbecue stems from summers he spent in North Carolina. He also became executive chef at Peacock Garden Resto Bar + Grill this year. He was an avid participant of the South Beach Wine & Food Festival every year.
Besides being an excellent cook, he was also interested in collecting donations for starving children and animal shelters. Paying tribute to Kleinberg, one user revealed that he taught Kleinberg in elementary school and that a waitress at Kleinberg’s Miami restaurant greeted him with milk and cookies—a gift from Howard. Another user said that Howard initially exposed him to “the magic of burnt tips” when he made him try the Luther burger for the first time.
Top Chef Season 3 in a nutshell
Top Chef Season 3 debuted on June 13, 2007 under the title Top Chef: Miami and ended on October 10, 2007. Hung Huynh took first place, followed by Dale Levitski and Casey Thompson. Padma Lakshmi, Tom Colicchio, Gail Simmons and Ted Allen were among the judges. Kleiberg finished sixth in the program and earned the nickname “Bulldog” while there. The term was eventually used for the name of his barbecue company.
Twitter users pay tribute
Howard Kleinberg has gained quite a reputation as a celebrity chef. When news of his death spread, Twitter was flooded with tributes:
BREAKING: Bravo’s ‘Top Chef’ alum Howard Kleinberg DIES UNEXPECTEDLY OF HEART ATTACK at age 46.
WHY DO SO MANY PEOPLE DIE YOUNG?
— Chuck Callesto (@ChuckCallesto) July 27, 2022
…and others. He died “unexpectedly” of a heart attack at the age of 46. While incidents like this aren’t exactly unheard of, it seems like there’s been a lot of this kind of thing lately. @drnaomirwolf https://t.co/1bDf3xiiKE https://t.co/IXesoYHlVt
— GigiRNC (@GigiRNC) July 27, 2022
Categories: Entertaintment
Source: HIS Education