Bill Granger, founder of London restaurant group Granger and Co. and a host of international restaurants under the name bills has died aged 54, it has been announced. Granger died on Christmas day.
A self-taught chef, Granger dropped out of art school in his native Australia in 1993 to open his first restaurant, the eponymous bills — not to be confused with UK restaurant group Bill's, founded by Bill Coulson — in Sydney’s Darlinghurst neighbourhood.
Granger pioneered a casual, unfussy approach to food, and placed a particular focus on breakfast and brunch. As such, he was often dubbed the "godfather of avocado toast".
Granger successfully exported a new generation of Australian food culture to the wider world, which previously had been limited to fine dining pacific influences or humble barbecue fare. His focus on quality, simplicity and a sense of togetherness — as indicated by the famed communal tables at the original bills — were instant hits and translated beyond Australia's borders, setting a new standard in contemporary cafe dining.
In 2008 bills went international, starting in Tokyo where there are currently four sites, and on to London under the name Granger and Co. and onto Seoul, a city with two restaurants. Including the bills restaurants in Australia, Granger owned and operated some 19 restaurants worldwide.
Whilst avocado toast might be Granger's most penetrating creation, perhaps his more enduring legacy was the broader revival of brunch for a younger generation of diners. The Wolseley and others had successfully revived breakfast in London, thanks to a European grand cafe elegance, but it was Granger and Co. in London and bills worldwide that translated a more youthful, informal approach to quality morning meals to this new generation of restaurant-goers.
Seven years after the first bills cafe, success would follow Granger in a new writing career. His first book, published in 2000 was dubbed simply Sydney Food, and, thanks to the success of the cafe, enjoyed widespread acclaim.
Author Rachel O'Conner wrote of the inaugural book: "Waking to blinding sunshine requires bold, fortifying flavours on the breakfast table. Recipes like banana maple porridge with buttered apples, French toast stuffed with peaches and toasted coconut waffles with fresh mango set the tone for a lazy weekend on the beach."Eleven more cookbooks would follow. The New York Times would go on to describe Granger as the "egg master of Sydney", whilst the Telegraph dubbed him "the king of breakfast" Perhaps the most fitting tribute came in 2016 when The New Yorker stated that Granger was "the restaurateur most responsible for the Australian cafe's global reach." His books went on to sell more than a million copies internationally. Like his restaurants, these cookbooks were typically approachable and championed familiar ingredients treated with simplicity and care, an ethos of straightforward food found in his restaurants right across the world.
Tributes from Britain’s top culinary talent have already poured in with Jamie Oliver and Nigella Lawson remembering Granger and his impact on restaurants.
Oliver noted on social media: "I loved @bill.granger so much, he was such a wonderful man, warm, charming, and had an extraordinary ease and style in cooking that could only come from Australia. Many moons ago I remember going to his first Sydney restaurant in Darlinghurst it was so cool, so relaxed, great food and coffee and years ahead of its time he was there in full effect so welcoming and just so nice."
Lawson said of Granger in her touching tribute: "He was the loveliest man, and the joy he gave us – whether through his food, his books, the spaces he made for us, or in person – came from the kindness and generosity and sheer, shining exuberance of his very self."
A sign of his enduring appeal, actor and fellow Australian Hugh Jackman made a joint statement with his former partner Deborah-Lee Furness, stating on Instagram: "We are devastated to hear the news of Bill’s passing. His talent, his joie de vivre, the way he brought people together, and his commitment to family were inspiring."
