Homaro Cantu

Homaro Cantu
Cantu at the 2008 Cusp Conference
Born
Homaro Cantu Jr.

(1976-09-23)September 23, 1976
DiedApril 14, 2015(2015-04-14) (aged 38)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Other namesOmar
EducationWestern Culinary Institute
Years active1997–2015
Spouse
Katie McGowan
(m. 2003⁠–⁠2015)
Children2
Culinary career
Cooking styleMolecular gastronomy
Rating(s)
Current restaurant(s)
Previous restaurant(s)
  • iNG
Television show(s)
Websitewww.cantudesigns.com

Homaro "Omar" Cantu Jr. (September 23, 1976 – April 14, 2015) was an American chef and inventor known for his use of molecular gastronomy. As a child, Cantu was fascinated with science and engineering. While working in a fast food restaurant, he discovered the similarities between science and cooking and decided to become a chef. In 1999, he was hired by his idol, Chicago chef Charlie Trotter. In 2003, Cantu became the first chef of Moto, which he later purchased.

Through Moto, Cantu explored his unusual ideas about cooking including edible menus, carbonated fruit, and food cooked with a laser. Initially seen as a novelty only, Moto eventually earned critical praise and, in 2012, a Michelin star. Cantu's second restaurant, iNG, and his coffee house, Berrista, focused on the use of "miracle berries" to make sour food taste sweet. He was working on opening a brewery called Crooked Fork at the time of his suicide in 2015.

In addition to being a chef, Cantu was a media personality, appearing regularly on TV shows, and an inventor. In 2010, he produced and co-hosted a show called Future Food. Through his media appearances, he advocated for an end to world hunger and thought his edible paper creation and the miracle berry could play a significant role in that goal. Cantu volunteered his time and money to a variety of charities and patented several food gadgets.