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Celebrity chef Darren Simpson dies: a cheeky chappy who hid his demons behind a big grin

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In Korea, a celebrity chef is called a chef-tainer. It's a hideous word, but it does a small job of describing the life and work of Darren Simpson, who died on Thursday evening after a long illness.

The Irish-born chef was, like so many Irish-born chefs, a cheeky chappy who hid his demons behind a great big grin and a loud bark of a laugh.

His energy, drive and enthusiasm made him a natural for the move from the shadows of the professional kitchen to the searing spotlight of television. For a while there, he seemed to be on every TV food show bar MasterChef, from his role as resident chef of Sunrise, as judge on hit reality show, My Restaurant Rules on Seven, and Ten's Ready Steady Cook. This was followed by The Lifestyle Channel's The Best, competing against his old mate Ben O'Donoghue and celebrity chef Anna Gare, and the usual merry-go- round of celebrity appearances, KFC endorsements, and Facebook feuds with Colin Fassnidge.

Simpson started young, because that's how you start in Northern Ireland. Yet by 1991, within two years of starting in his first kitchen position, he was named the UK's Young Chef of The Year. At 21, he was the youngest ever winner of this prestigious national award.

His glory years in the UK were from 1992 to 1999, where he worked with Paul Rankin at the Michelin-starred Roscoff in Belfast; with Albert Roux at the Michelin-starred Le Gavroche in London; at Sally Clarke's Clarke's in London and with Simon Hopkinson at Bibendum. His world – and his cooking - changed, when he took on the head chef position for the game-changing River Café in London, working with Ruth Rogers and Rose Grey. Together, they introduced London to the joys of rustic Italian food, preparing and cooking everything from scratch. (Simpson was there, in fact, when the camera came and discovered another cheekier, younger, chappy in the kitchen, by the name of Jamie Oliver.)

He was working as Head Chef at Sir Terence Conran's Sartoria in Savile Row, London, in 1999 when Australian chef Michael Moore suggested he move to Australia to become the Head Chef of the ambitious new Aqua Luna Bar and Restaurant at Sydney's East Circular Quay for local restaurateur and publican Leigh Moulds. "I knew Darren would love Australia and that it would love him and so it did," says Moore, of Sydney's O Bar & Dining.

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Moore says from the moment they met, Simpson had a real spark. "Ruth and Rose of The River Café rated him as their finest talent" he says. "He cooked real food, loved life, and was a chef's chef." 

Fish authority and longtime industry providore John Susman of Fishtales, also says he was a breath of fresh air. "He had an absolute love and commitment to premium seafood" recalls Susman. "He brought an Italian simplicity to fresh seafood. He was demanding and direct, but also fiercely loyal and supportive. A bloody champion." The 2001 Good Food Guide described Aqua Luna's menu as "a love affair with Italian" and Simpson as "a great enthusiast for rich, full-bodied Italian flavours."

ARIA chef Matt Moran knew him well, and says that in spite of his emotional issues, he was one of the most talented Italian chefs he has ever known. "He had such a flair for Italian food" says Moran. "He'd just rip up a heap of herbs and throw them into a dish, and it would be so simple, so flavoursome. He really knew how to cook and how to season."

Aqua Luna was one of this reviewer's highlights of 2000 because Simpson brought a new way of looking at rustic Italian regional food in a sparkling restaurant setting, and changed the look and feel of our contemporary Italian menus almost overnight.

We were just moving from an era of moulded custards and precisely arranged vegetables, when he came along and sent out rough-hewn, char-grilled sourdough with a rustic ribollita soup. Hallelujah. He became famous for a dish of tangled, crunchy, flash-fried school prawns with herb mayonnaise that people adored – and a great dish of whole snapper cooked "all'acqua pazza", in crazy water.

As I wrote then, when awarding Aqua Luna its first chef hat: "In contrast to the polished sophistication of the room is a menu unusual for modern Sydney in its unabashed love affair with rustic Italian food. Chef Darren Simpson – young, enthusiastic, Irish – does food that's dynamic, big-flavoured, and not too mucked about with."

He then opened the award-winning La Sala (The Room) in 2005, a modern Italian restaurant in Surry Hills, before moving to La Scala on Jersey in Paddington. Before his illness, he had been working in various Italian restaurants on the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast.

"I've heard from so many that he was one of the most naturally gifted chefs they've worked with," says Darren Robertson of Three Blue Ducks and guest judge on My Kitchen Rules. "It's a sad loss for our industry, and a testament that we should all be looking out for each other."

Darren Simpson had a great and genuine love for his industry and his craft, and made a point of sharing it, through his cooking and his television work, with as many people as possible. As Matt Moran tweeted on hearing the news, "RIP, old mate, you were one of the best."

Terry Durack is the Chief Restaurant Critic for the Sydney Morning Herald