Latest news with #Buzzetta
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
California culinary star dies after hiking in Hawaii
CARLSBAD, Calif. (KSWB/KUSI) – Gianna Buzzetta wasn't a rising star in the culinary world, she was at the top of the game. At 26, she was helping to win Michelin stars for Carlsbad's Jeune et Jolie for three years as an executive pastry chef. Now, her restaurant community is mourning the loss of a beloved colleague after Buzzetta was killed in a freak accident in Kauai, Hawaii, while hiking with her boyfriend last week. 'We all heard the news, and it was obviously paralyzing, and not knowing what to do,' said John Resnick, the owner of Jeune et Jolie. Resnick says Buzzetta was one of the best of them. Jan Schwieterman, star of Nickelodeon's 'Good Burger' movie, dies at 52 'She was a huge part of the team. Super creative, super talented, incredibly hardworking. Humble, confident, I mean all these things that we want to see in the people we work with, and so from that professional talent standpoint, she was incredible and then just as a person you wanted to be around. Our whole team loved working alongside her,' Resnick said. The loss is incomprehensible but Resnick says the Buzzetta family has a bond extremely powerful and rare. 'Hearing them talk about her makes me want to be a better dad, just like the relationship they have with her is incredible,' Resnick said. Resnick says with the rescue and medical costs off the charts the Buzzetta family needs all the help they can get so his team will be opening up on Monday, April 7 and donating all proceeds to assist with the bills. 'This time I think it's like coming together to celebrate the relationships that people had with Gianna, if you didn't know her, you can still come in and support the family,' Resnick said. The dinner service starts at 5 p.m. and runs through the evening, with last seating at 9 p.m. A donation fund has been set up for Buzzetta. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Yahoo
Tropical vacation accident kills chef who worked at Michelin-starred restaurant
An acclaimed pastry chef was killed by a boulder during a picturesque hike on the Hawaiian island of Kauai, officials said. Gianna Buzzetta, a 26-year-old from California, was hit by a falling boulder on March 23 as she was exploring the Makaleha Falls in Kauai with her boyfriend, Connor Quinton, the Kauai Fire Department said. "They heard a really loud noise. [Quinton] looked up, but couldn't figure out where the noise was coming from," her dad, Sal Buzzettta, told 10News. "Within a second, it happened … The rock dislodged from quite a ways up … then it landed on her," he said. Nevada Girl, 7, Killed In Lake Tahoe Ski Resort Boulder Accident: Police Due to the remote location, there was no cell service, and Quinton sprinted to find help. According to the Kauai Fire Department, when first responders arrived, they found Buzzetta unconscious at the base of the falls, with labored breathing and heavy bleeding from an apparent head wound. Read On The Fox News App The chef needed to be airlifted to a local hospital, where she was later declared dead. Caty Buzzetta, Gianna's mother, said that Quinton was fulfilling her daughter's lifelong dream to hike the 5.2-mile round trip hike to the cascading waterfall. "She had told her boyfriend, Connor, that day, he had fulfilled her dreams, and it was the best day of her life," Caty Buzzetta told KGTV. The couple was set to get engaged and start a life together prior to the freak accident, her parents shared. Buzzetta was a pastry chef at Michelin-starred French restaurant Jeune et Jolie, in Carlsbad, California. According to an online fundraiser, Buzzetta helped the restaurant achieve three Michelin stars over the years. Vacation Abroad Turns Tragic For American Nurse After Accident Leaves Her 'All Metal' "She was a huge part of the team. Super creative, super talented, incredibly hardworking," her boss, John Resnick, told Fox 5 San Diego. "Humble, confident — I mean all these things that we want to see in the people we work with. So from that professional talent standpoint, she was incredible… Our whole team loved working alongside her." In a post on their Instagram page, Jeune et Jolie announced that it is raising funds for Buzzetta's family by providing a special dinner service. "Gianna was our former Pastry Chef, and our friend. She brought such joy, intensity, passion and love to this restaurant and to our team," the restaurant's team wrote. "Her sudden loss leaves all of us heartbroken, and searching for ways to be of help to her family." "And so, we are doing the one thing we know how to do. We are coming together as a restaurant, and welcoming guests in to celebrate the relationships that give our lives meaning," they said. Fox News Digital has reached out to Jeune et Jolie for article source: Tropical vacation accident kills chef who worked at Michelin-starred restaurant
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Rising SoCal culinary star dies in freak Hawaii hiking accident, hit by tumbling boulder
A young and rising culinary star in Southern California died in a freak accident in Hawaii, according to family, who said the tragedy occurred as she was fulfilling a long-held dream to hike to the Makaleha Falls waterfall in Kauai. Gianna Buzzetta, a 26-year-old executive pastry chef at the Jeune et Jolie restaurant in Carlsbad, was hiking the challenging waterfall trail with her boyfriend last week when disaster struck, according to a statement from her family. The Kaua'i Fire Department responded to a call for a hiker who was hit by a tumbling boulder while standing in the pool of the waterfall on March 23, the department said in a news release. The hiker, who was found unconscious and bleeding from a head wound, was airlifted to medical care. Buzzetta's parents then flew to Hawaii and were able to say their goodbyes before she died in the hospital, according to reporting from ABC10. "She had told her boyfriend, Connor, that day, he had fulfilled her dreams and it was the best day of her life," her mother, Caty Buzzetta, told the station. "In a glimpse of time, she had pure bliss, no one could take that from her or us." In an online fundraiser to help cover Buzzetta's medical fees and funeral expenses, her family described her as determined, tenacious, insightful and kind, with a crazy sense of humor and an infectious laugh. "As an executive pastry chef her dedication to perfection in artistry led her to master her talents at Jeune et Jolie in Carlsbad," wrote the family. "She poured herself, her love and creativity into everything she brought to the table." While working at Jeune et Jolie, Buzzetta helped the modern French restaurant achieve three Michelin stars. "She brought such joy, intensity, passion and love to this restaurant and to our team," said the restaurant on Instagram. "Her sudden loss leaves all of us heartbroken, and searching for ways to be of help to her family." Jeune et Jolie will be holding a special dinner on Monday to honor the memory of the young pastry chef. Restaurant owner John Resnick told Fox5 News that Buzzetta's sudden death was a devastating blow for all who knew her and worked with her. "She was a huge part of the team. Super creative, super talented, incredibly hardworking," he told the station. "Our whole team loved working alongside her." In the fundraising post, Buzzetta's family expressed their gratitude for the first responders in Hawaii and Buzzetta's boyfriend, Connor Quinton, who they say "gave heroically every last effort to save her running a great distance desperately getting her help." Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
03-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Rising SoCal culinary star dies in freak Hawaii hiking accident, hit by tumbling boulder
A young and rising culinary star in Southern California died in a freak accident in Hawaii, according to family, who said the tragedy occurred as she was fulfilling a long-held dream to hike to the Makaleha Falls waterfall in Kauai. Gianna Buzzetta, a 26-year-old executive pastry chef at the Jeune et Jolie restaurant in Carlsbad, was hiking the challenging waterfall trail with her boyfriend last week when disaster struck, according to a statement from her family. The Kaua'i Fire Department responded to a call for a hiker who was hit by a tumbling boulder while standing in the pool of the waterfall on March 23, the department said in a news release. The hiker, who was found unconscious and bleeding from a head wound, was airlifted to medical care. Buzzetta's parents then flew to Hawaii and were able to say their goodbyes before she died in the hospital, according to reporting from ABC10. 'She had told her boyfriend, Connor, that day, he had fulfilled her dreams and it was the best day of her life,' her mother, Caty Buzzetta, told the station. 'In a glimpse of time, she had pure bliss, no one could take that from her or us.' In an online fundraiser to help cover Buzzetta's medical fees and funeral expenses, her family described her as determined, tenacious, insightful and kind, with a crazy sense of humor and an infectious laugh. 'As an executive pastry chef her dedication to perfection in artistry led her to master her talents at Jeune et Jolie in Carlsbad,' wrote the family. 'She poured herself, her love and creativity into everything she brought to the table.' While working at Jeune et Jolie, Buzzetta helped the modern French restaurant achieve three Michelin stars. 'She brought such joy, intensity, passion and love to this restaurant and to our team,' said the restaurant on Instagram. 'Her sudden loss leaves all of us heartbroken, and searching for ways to be of help to her family.' Jeune et Jolie will be holding a special dinner on Monday to honor the memory of the young pastry chef. Restaurant owner John Resnick told Fox5 News that Buzzetta's sudden death was a devastating blow for all who knew her and worked with her. 'She was a huge part of the team. Super creative, super talented, incredibly hardworking,' he told the station. 'Our whole team loved working alongside her.' In the fundraising post, Buzzetta's family expressed their gratitude for the first responders in Hawaii and Buzzetta's boyfriend, Connor Quinton, who they say 'gave heroically every last effort to save her running a great distance desperately getting her help.'
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
26-Year-Old Pastry Chef Was Having the 'Best Day of Her Life.' Then She Got Hit by a Rock While Hiking and Died
Family and friends are mourning the death of a rising pastry chef who died in a hiking accident in Hawaii last week. Gianna Buzzetta, 26, was hiking Makaleha Falls Trail alongside her boyfriend Connor Quinton when she was hit on the head by a falling rock on Sunday, March 23, according to Hawaii News Now and ABC affiliate KGTV. 'They heard a really loud noise,' Gianna's father, Sal Buzzetta, told KGTV. 'He looked up, but couldn't figure out where the noise was coming from. Within a second, it happened … The rock dislodged from quite a ways up … then it landed on her.' Quinton was able to pull Buzzetta from the water beneath the falls, but couldn't get cell service to call for emergency assistance. He ran three miles for help, family friend Carlye Wund, who organized a fundraiser for the family, told NBC affiliate KNSD-TV. Related: Man Rescued After Tumbling from Cliff While Searching for Missing Dog When first responders arrived on the scene, they found Buzzetta unconscious, but breathing, and she was also bleeding heavily from an apparent head wound, Hawaii News Now reported. She was airlifted to Wilcox Memorial Hospital and then on to Queen's Medical Center in Honolulu, where she died a day later from her injuries. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Her parents, who were able to fly to Hawaii in time to say goodbye, say that it was their daughter's dream to visit the waterfall. "She had told her boyfriend, Connor, that day, he had fulfilled her dreams and it was the best day of her life," her mom told KGTV. Related: Man Dies After Slipping on Tree Branch While Trying to Jump Off Waterfall Now, those who knew Gianna — who had been the executive pastry chef at the Michelin-starred Jeune et Jolie restaurant in Carlsbad — are mourning the loss of a vibrant talent who loved the outdoors as much as her time in the kitchen. 'She was in nature,' her mom said. 'That was her element. She was with the love of her life. In a glimpse of time, she had pure bliss, no one could take that from her or us. She was living in the best moment she ever had, and that's priceless.' Read the original article on People
