• Skye Gyngell dies after battle with cancer
• She was renowned for leading British restaurants and pioneering the “slow food” movement

Australian chef Skye Gyngell has died in London, leaving behind a career that made her a "culinary pioneer" and an "inspiration to generations of chefs and growers worldwide," according to her family.

Gyngell became famous in the UK after her café in southwest London earned a prestigious Michelin star, one of the highest honors in the culinary world.

She also led several other notable restaurants in Britain.

Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver paid tribute to Gyngell, who was diagnosed with skin cancer last year, thanking her for “all she did to inspire young cooks.”

In the 1980s, Gyngell was a pioneer of the “slow food” movement before working as a private chef for clients including Nigella Lawson, Madonna, and Guy Ritchie.

Lawson mourned Gyngell on Instagram: “However ill you know someone to be, their death is always a shock. It’s just awful that Skye is no longer in the world.”

Gyngell passed away just days after her mother, designer Ann Barr.

Born in Australia, Gyngell studied at Sydney University before discovering her passion for cooking. She moved to Paris at 19, training under acclaimed chefs. Later, she moved to London, working at the French House in Soho with Fergus and Margot Henderson.

In 2004, Gyngell became head chef at Petersham Nurseries café, transforming the rundown site into a thriving café. It earned a Michelin star in 2011, but she left a year later, frustrated by customers’ expectations for a traditional Michelin experience in her rustic café.

Her later projects included Spring in London, the city’s first fully plastic-free restaurant.

Gyngell was also known for her award-winning cookbooks and her work as a food editor for a magazine.

Last year, she discovered a lump in her neck and was diagnosed with Merkel cell carcinoma, a rare and aggressive skin cancer. She underwent surgery that removed her salivary glands, temporarily affecting her sense of taste and smell.