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A longtime chef at the famed Nobu Malibu restaurant was killed in a multi-vehicle crash early Saturday after a teenage driver slammed into his parked car on Pacific Coast Highway, The California Post has learned.
The 51-year-old chef, who had been with the restaurant from its early days, was found dead in the back seat of a vehicle after the crash around 7 a.m. near Carbon Canyon Road, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
The chef had reportedly arrived early for work and fallen asleep in his car. He was preparing for a catering job in Santa Monica, sources told The Post. Restaurant staff said he had worked at the Malibu location the night before.
The crash involved a sport utility vehicle driven by a 16-year-old boy, who was traveling eastbound on PCH at what appeared to be above the speed limit, a sheriff’s watch commander told The Post.
The SUV reportedly veered across the road’s fog line, the white stripe separating the traffic lane from the shoulder, and struck the parked vehicle. The impact sent that car into another vehicle, which was pushed into a third.
According to 99.1 FM, the teenager was driving at least 50 mph when he swerved and hit the parked car.
The chef’s identity has not been released.
The deadly collision unfolded just steps from Nobu Malibu, the celebrity-favorite restaurant perched along the coast that has become a destination for high-end Japanese cuisine and oceanfront dining. The restaurant, known for its sushi, signature black cod miso and celebrity clientele, was closed Saturday as staff grappled with the loss.
The scene was somber, with sheriff’s deputies cordoning off part of PCH with crime scene tape as detectives investigated. Photos from the scene showed a black sedan with extensive front-end damage.
The California Highway Patrol issued a Sigalert at 7:51 a.m., shutting down the two left lanes for an undetermined amount of time.
The crash marks another devastating loss for California’s restaurant industry. In April, Rainer Schwarz, 59, the co-owner and executive chef behind Laguna Beach favorites Driftwood Kitchen and The Deck on Laguna Beach, died in a crash in Dana Point.
For the Nobu Malibu team, Saturday’s tragedy struck especially close to home, taking the life of a chef who had helped build the restaurant’s operation and was still preparing to serve its next meal.
