David Ansill, a 1976 graduate of Cheltenham High School and a renowned chef in Philadelphia and beyond, passed away on Monday, August 19 in hospice care of complications from lymphoma. He was 65.
According to his obituary in the Philadelphia Inquirer, Ansill was diagnosed in spring 2023 and announced his illness last summer via a GoFundMe, which is still active.
An excerpt from the GoFundMe:
Chef David Ansill is a highly regarded Philadelphia Chef, known for his innovative culinary creations that fuse international flavors with locally-sourced ingredients. Throughout his career, he has worked at several renowned restaurants in the city, where he honed his skills and built a strong reputation. Chef Ansill’s unique cooking style and dedication to his craft have played a pivotal role in shaping Philadelphia’s food culture. His dishes have delighted food enthusiasts and inspired new generations of chefs to explore new boundaries in the culinary arts. Chef Ansill’s impact on the city’s gastronomic landscape and his devotion to his family have earned him a special place in the community’s hearts.
Mr. Ansill got his start in the restaurant industry at age 18 before attending Restaurant School, now Walnut Hill College, in the 1980s. After a stint in Spain, he returned to Philadelphia to become a chef at Serrano in Old City, then Bank, Treetops at the Rittenhouse Hotel, and Judy’s Cafe in Queen Village, his obituary said.
After working in Miami, Mr. Ansill returned to Philadelphia in the late 1990s to work at the Continental in Old City, then Lucy’s Hat Shop, and in 2001, he and his wife opened Pif, a French BYOB bistro on Eighth Street near Washington Avenue.
An excerpt about the French bistro:
The 36-seat Pif was Mr. Ansill’s tour de force. He’d scour the nearby Italian Market for that night’s blackboard menu. Dishes like escargots served in heads of garlic in Pernod sauce and topped with chopped hazelnut; steak tartare with purple mustard, cognac, and fried capers; and stuffed pigs’ feet became part of the city’s fine-dining canon.
In 2006, he opened Ansill Food & Wine at Third and Bainbridge streets before making a six-month stop in Jamaica, taking on a hodgepodge of restaurant initiatives in Philadelphia, and then moving on to cannabis-infused cooking.
There will be no service, his obituary said. A memorial dinner will be held at a later date “with all good food — more like a party or a celebration of his life, rather than something dark,” his wife said.
For all the latest news, follow us on Facebook or sign up for Glenside Local’s “Daily Buzz” newsletter here.
Photos: Walnut Hill College, GoFundMe