Ben Byruch, the New York City restaurateur who co-founded Pig & Khao with his wife, Top Chef alum Leah Cohen, has died at 44. The restaurant announced his death on Instagram on Thursday, Nov. 12, and asked for privacy for Cohen and their family. The statement did not disclose a cause of death.
In its tribute, Pig & Khao remembered Byruch as its "creative heart." The restaurant credited him with shaping its identity and recalled the warmth and sense of humor he brought to the people who worked with him and knew him.
Byruch and Cohen built Pig & Khao around Southeast Asian cooking, drawing on Cohen's Filipino upbringing and travels in the region. Cohen, who finished sixth on the fifth season of Bravo's Top Chef, also worked with Byruch on Piggyback, another New York City restaurant.
Their work together extended beyond their restaurants. In a recent social media post, Food Network's Chefs Making Waves shared a photo of the couple cooking together in front of an audience as Cohen presented pancit bihon, a Filipino noodle dish. The family also recently traveled to the Hawaii Food & Wine Festival, where Cohen cooked Filipino food and later shared photos from the trip with Byruch and their children.
Byruch and Cohen married in July 2016. He is survived by Cohen and their two sons, Carter Graham and Baker Scott.
