Fat Duck chefs killed in car crash

 Hong Kong, Nov 21, 2012 – (AFP)

Top British chef Heston Blumenthal has identified the bodies of two staff from his famed The Fat Duck restaurant who were killed in Hong Kong when their taxi was crushed between two buses, reports said.

Hong Kong media identified the victims as Briton Ivan Aranto Herrera Jorge, 34, and Swede Carl Magnus Lindgren, 30, who died along with taxi driver Wong Kim-chung, 53, in the accident on Monday which left 57 others injured.

Wearing a black T-shirt, Blumenthal was seen at a mortuary in Hong Kong on Tuesday, pictures published in Hong Kong media showed.

His Michelin three-starred restaurant in the village of Bray, west of London, mourned the loss of the duo and described them as “uniquely talented young chefs”.

“We can confirm two members of our team were tragically killed in a car accident. They were both senior members and great and dear friends,” a spokesman for The Fat Duck said.

“Two uniquely talented young chefs that were loved by everyone who worked with them. They will be sadly and deeply missed.”

Jorge and Lindgren were in Hong Kong for a business trip, according to the Mandarin Oriental Hotel where they had stayed before the accident.

“We are deeply saddened by this tragic event and our hearts and prayers are with their families and loved ones,” the hotel said in a statement.

Police have arrested a 57-year-old bus driver as they investigate the cause of the accident, after he was said to have collapsed at the wheel before the crash.
Blumenthal, a self-taught chef, takes a scientific approach to cooking and flavours, researching the molecular compounds of dishes.

Diners have to book months in advance to secure a table at the restaurant, where the tasting menu costs 130 pounds (R1500) and features dishes such as salmon poached in liquorice and nitro-scrambled egg and bacon ice cream.