Most Googled S’porean Chef Tariq Helou, Owner of Fleurette, Dies at 29

Singaporean chef and owner of gastronomy and fine dining restaurant Fleurette, chef Tariq Helou, passed away at the age of 29, on 25 Apr 2024.

He was of Japanese, Chinese and Lebanese parentage and he was the oldest of four children. He had a younger brother and two sisters.

His death was unexpected, and the cause of his death is still unknown.

Fleurette Restaurant in Rangoon Road

Chef Helou is best known for his restaurant on Rangoon Road. It serves French and Japanese-inspired food prepared with gastronomy techniques.

Fleurette has been a hub for Chef Helou to showcase his training and heritage. He had gone to a culinary school in Switzerland and had worked there, including working in France and Japan.

After returning to Singapore, he ran a supper club before gathering some money to start Fleurette, which immediately intrigued diners due to its creative and inventive menu, as well as its unique restaurant aesthetic.

Ms Catherine Yong, his mother, told The Straits Times that the staff had agreed to continue running the restaurant for now.

Most Searched Chef on Google

In 2024, travel platform Explore Worldwide, known for its small group tour adventures, deemed Chef Helou as Asia’s “most googled chef”.

The platform shared the findings of their worldwide study on its blog. The study was created to help foodie travellers better plan their trips with knowledge of areas with the most sought-after chefs in the world.

Categorising their results to regions, Asia crowned Chef Tariq Helou as the top-searched chef, amassing an impressive 1.62 million searches in 2024. This landed him among the top 10 most Googled chefs in the world.

“Extremely kind and humble”

The food community grieved the loss of the incredibly talented chef.

Many chefs who knew him, including Fleurette’s restaurant publicist, expressed their shock and sadness.

Food influencer and content creator Veronica Phua expressed her gratitude to Chef Helou and her condolences in an edited Instagram Reel.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by A PASSIONATE FOODIE (@veronicaphua)

Her sentiments were also shared by three-Michelin-starred French chef, Julien Royer, who said that he was “always extremely kind and humble, a hard-working and passionate individual”.

Fleurette’s sous chef, Chef Shaun Wong, described Chef Helou as an optimistic and positive individual, and he had been looking forward to working with him for the rest of his life. After working in the food industry for over ten years, Chef Helou was described as one of the best.

May he rest in peace.