Top Chef personality Howard ‘Howie’ Kleinberg has died at age of 46 following a heart attack

Howard ‘Howie’ Kleinberg of the Bravo series Top Chef has died at the age of 46 following a heart attack.

Kleinberg’s mother Susan told the Miami Herald that the chef, who had been on the show’s third season, had died this past weekend after the medical event.

‘He was married to his passion in life, which was his cooking,’ she said. ‘I am just finding out how many lives he touched.’

Bravo issued a statement saying, ‘The Top Chef family is saddened to learn about the unexpected passing of Howard Kleinberg from season three. Howie’s passion for cooking filled so many and our deepest sympathy goes out to his family and friends.’

The Florida-born chef had learned his trade at North Miami’s Johnson & Wales University, the paper reported, and had worked at Miami’s Hotel Intercontinental.

Kleinberg, who was a regular participant in the South Beach Wine & Food Festival, had run his own Miami-based eatery called Bulldog Barbecue, according to the paper.

According to the Miami New Times, Kleinberg ran the restaurant for 10 years before taking on a position at the Anderson as an executive chef. This past March, Kleinberg had begun working at the Coconut Grove, Florida restaurant the Peacock Garden Resto Bar + Grill as an executive chef.

The veteran chef was pictured at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival in February of 2014

Kleinberg had been involved in charitable endeavors, as he was a supporter of organizations aimed at eliminating childhood hunger and pet shelters. He was pictured in 2010 in Miami

The restaurant’s owners told New Times, ‘We at Peacock Garden are saddened by the passing of chef Howie Kleinberg. Howie was a valued member of our team and we extend our deepest sympathies to his family.’

Anderson owner Ken Lyon said he worked with Kleinberg for a year after hiring him in October of 2020 to relaunch the restaurant following the pandemic shutdown.

‘We got to work together for a year, and I’m so fortunate to have had that time with him,’ Lyon said, calling Kleinberg ‘a real barbecue champion’ and ‘one of the most talented people in the barbecue business.

Kleinberg was remembered in a number of tweets following news of his passing

‘I was amazed at his knowledge. It was refreshing that he really knew those classic, old-school recipes, the basics that a lot of young chefs these days don’t know to prepare. He had a true talent.’

Kleinberg had been involved in charitable endeavors, as he was a supporter of organizations aimed at eliminating childhood hunger, as well as pet shelters.

Kleinberg’s family requested any donations in his memory be made to the organizations Feeding South Florida or Bullies-N-Beyond Rescue.

Kleinberg is survived by mother Susan Kleinberg Ratner and stepfather Ken Ratner; his sister Amy Wildstein and her three children.