Santi Santamaria | Spanish chef, 53

Santi Santamaria, 53, a Spanish chef with a three-Michelin-star restaurant in Barcelona and other fine eateries, died Wednesday in Singapore.

He died at his Marina Bay restaurant, Santi, said Ruben Mallat, manager of the three-star restaurant El Raco de Can Fabes in Barcelona. Mallat said the cause of death was not immediately known.

One of a generation of chefs who brought Spanish cuisine to the attention of international gourmets, Mr. Santamaria prided himself on using natural, seasonal ingredients to make Mediterranean-style dishes.

Born in Sant Celoni, outside Barcelona, Mr. Santamaria opened Can Fabes in 1981. By 1994, the restaurant had become the first in Spain to attain three Michelin stars. He owned three other restaurants in Spain that also garnered Michelin stars.

The author of 10 books on cooking, Mr. Santamaria was awarded Spain's National Gastronomy Prize in 2009.

He clashed with Spanish culinary guru Ferran Adria and other chefs who brought high-tech methods to Spanish cuisine, arguing they used the same potentially unhealthy additives as hamburger joints. The criticism came to a head when he published his book La Cocina al Desnudo ("The Naked Kitchen") in 2008.

- AP