Andrea Zamperoni, the head chef of a renowned New York City restaurant, has been found dead at a hostel in Queens, according to police.
The 33-year-old Zamperoni was found unresponsive at the Kamway Lodge in Queens on Wednesday night by police officers. He was pronounced dead at the scene, the New York Police Department said.
Zamperoni had been last seen by his roommates on Saturday after he finished his shift at Cipriani Dolci, a popular Venetian restaurant in Grand Central Terminal.
Co-workers began to worry and called the authorities when he did not show up for his shift on Monday.
“Andrea was a responsible, good-hearted, kind and very hard-working individual who will be deeply missed by all of us,” Cipriani Dolci’s spokesperson said in a statement to CNN. “His brother is overcome with grief and regrets he will not be available to provide any comments.”
Zamperoni was an Italian native who had worked with Ciprani for more than a decade, including at one of its restaurants in London where his brother was a chef.
The cause of Zamperoni’s death was not immediately known, and an autopsy by the medical examiner is still pending. An investigation into his death is ongoing.
