Family, friends and coworkers are mourning the loss of a former chef at the Michelin-starred restaurant Jeune et Jolie after she was killed in a hiking accident in Hawaii last weekend. NBC 7’s Steven Luke has more.
Family, friends and coworkers are mourning the loss of a former chef at the Michelin-starred restaurant Jeune et Jolie after she was killed in a hiking accident in Hawaii last weekend.
Gianna Isabella Buzzetta, 26, was hiking the Makaleha Falls trail on the island of Kaua'i with her boyfriend on March 23 to see the “waterfall of her dreams" when she was knocked unconscious by a falling rock, according to officials and family friend Carlye Wund, who organized a fundraiser for the family on the website GiveSendGo.
Buzzetta's boyfriend ran three miles to find help, Wund said. Once first responders arrived, they airlifted her to a local hospital. She was then transferred again before she was pronounced dead on March 24.
Wund said when she heard the news of the tragic accident, she wanted to do whatever she could to help the Buzzetta family.
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“They’re amazing, it’s one of the most amazing families. They’re just so full of love and light and all of the support they're getting, they’re just so grateful,” Wund said.
Buzzetta was described as determined, humorous and as someone who always put others before herself, according to the fundraiser.
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The 26-year-old worked as a pastry chef at the recognized French eatery in Carlsbad. On Instagram, Jeune et Jolie paid tribute to their former chef highlighting the “joy, intensity and love” she brought to the restaurant.
“Her sudden loss leaves all of us heartbroken, and searching for ways to be of help to her family,” the post read. “And so, we are doing the one thing we know how to do. We are coming together as a restaurant, and welcoming guests in to celebrate the relationships that give our lives meaning.”
They will be hosting a fundraiser in her honor on Monday. All proceeds from the evening will go to the family, a post on the restaurant’s Instagram said.
