Maxcel Hardy, a world-renowned chef who is from Detroit, passed away unexpected at the age of 40 on Monday night. The news was confirmed through a family spokesperson, David Rudolph.
Hardy, who owns Coop Caribbean Fusion inside the Detroit Shipping Company, was preparing to open a new restaurant on the Avenue of Fashion in Detroit. He also owned River Bistro, a restaurant on Grand River Ave., that closed in 2019.
In 2019, Hardy was named among by the New York Times as one of 16 Black chefs changing food in America.
"Detroit was never known as a food city. We had automotive like crazy, now we have all these cool chefs coming in, restaurants opening. I think it's really starting to happen," Hardy told us in 2019.
