US chef Homaro Cantu, who blended science and food, dies

In this Nov. 7, 2013 photo Chef Homaro Cantu poses for a photo at his restaurant Moto in Chicago. Authorities say Cantu was found dead in Chicago, Tuesday, April 14, 2015, in a building where he had planned to open a brewery. Chandler West/Sun-Times Media via AP

CHICAGO—Chef Homaro Cantu, who artfully blended science and fine dining at his Michelin-starred Chicago restaurant, has died.

The Cook County medical examiner’s office ruled the death a suicide, saying he hanged himself.

Cantu’s body was found Tuesday in a building on the city’s northwest side where he had planned to open a brewery by this summer.

The 38-year-old Cantu was one of Chicago’s most renowned chefs. He turned cooking into alchemy through his playful and surprising brand of molecular gastronomy at Moto, the restaurant he led in the city’s West Loop neighborhood. Customers dined on edible menus, carbonated fruit and a fish preparation that was cooked in a tabletop polymer box, among other foods.