Leah Cohen is mourning the sudden death of her husband, Ben Byruch, at age 44.
The restaurateur and co-founder of Pig & Khao died this week, the New York City restaurant announced Thursday on Instagram. Byruch and Cohen, 37, launched the Southeast Asian eatery together and raised two sons, Carter, 6, and Baker, 3.
“We are heartbroken to share the passing of Ben Byruch — husband to our chef and owner, Leah Cohen, devoted father, son, brother and friend to so many,” the restaurant’s statement read.
“Ben was the co-founder of Pig & Khao and its creative heart,” the statement continued. “His vision shaped who we are, and his warmth, passion and sense of humor touched everyone lucky enough to know him.”
The post asked for privacy for Cohen and her family, adding, “We will miss him more than words can say.” Byruch’s cause of death has not been disclosed.
Cohen and Byruch married in July 2016 and built both a business and a family together. The “Top Chef” alum competed on Season 5 of the Bravo series in 2008 and 2009, later returning for “Tournament of Champions” and serving as a judge on “The Great American Recipe.”
The couple welcomed Carter in 2019. “Our little Carter is a vampire,” Cohen said at the time. “He sleeps all day and is up all night!”
She said she “knew” she was expecting a boy before learning the baby’s sex, adding, “Then they said it. I was thrilled. I’m, like, a tomboy.”
Carter arrived 11 days early, which Cohen described as an “adjustment” for both parents. “We were 95% ready, but the 5% that wasn’t ready [was important], like the bassinet,” she added. She told the outlet she was not thinking about expanding their family further, saying, “If I decide to have another kid — not anytime soon.”
The couple’s second son, Baker Scott, was born in 2022.
Earlier this month, Cohen posted photos from a family trip to Hawaii on Instagram, where the four of them attended the Hawaii Food & Wine Festival. In the images, Cohen and Byruch posed with their two boys.
“Second time in Hawaii and I’m even more in love,” Cohen wrote in the caption.
“I’m grateful I get to do what I love, travel the world and make these memories with my family,” she added.
A GoFundMe campaign has been established in Byruch’s memory to support Cohen and their children.
Cohen first gained national attention as a contestant on the fifth season of “Top Chef,” where she competed against chefs including Hosea Rosenberg and Stefan Richter. She later parlayed that visibility into television appearances and her Pig & Khao restaurant, which became a fixture of New York’s Lower East Side dining scene.
The restaurant’s Instagram tribute emphasized Byruch’s central role in its identity and culture. His death leaves Cohen as the sole head of both the business and the young family they built together.
Pig & Khao continues operations while the family grieves privately.