A tragic motorcycle accident has claimed the life of a Sydney-based chef while he was on vacation in Bali. Davide Vulpis was enjoying a getaway with friends on the Indonesian island when the incident occurred earlier this week.
Originally hailing from Terlizzi, Italy, Vulpis had been residing in Sydney for over a year. He was a chef at Cibaria, a well-known Italian restaurant located at the Manly Pacific Hotel on Sydney’s northern beaches.
Before moving to Sydney, Vulpis honed his culinary skills in Ibiza, where he served as the head chef at Aparthotel Playasol Mogambo and worked as a private caterer.
His passion for cooking was evident in his latest Instagram post, which featured him meticulously preparing a steak dish and inspecting seafood in the Cibaria kitchen.
Vulpis also shared moments from his life outside the kitchen, posting images of himself at Circular Quay, one of Sydney’s iconic spots, and enjoying a holiday in Thailand.
‘Chef life,’ he captioned the photos.
Other recent posts showed Mr Vulpis enjoying Circular Quay’s iconic landmarks and holidaying in Thailand.
His heartbroken family set up a fundraiser to assist with cremation, legal and administrative expenses, and transporting his ashes back to Italy.
Davide Vulpis was killed in a motorcycle crash while holiday in Bali
He worked as a chef at Cibaria, a popular Italian restaurant at the Manly Pacific Hotel
‘He was travelling with a group of friends, enjoying life and making memories, when a sudden and devastating crash took his life,’ his brother Christian wrote.
‘Our family is heartbroken and still trying to process this unimaginable loss.
‘Bringing him home is incredibly important to us. We want to give him the dignity, love, and farewell he deserves, surrounded by the people who love him most.
‘Any contribution, no matter the amount, will help ease the financial pressure during this painful time.’
The fundraiser has since been paused after reaching its $12,000 goal within hours.
‘I honestly don’t have the words to thank every single one of you for the love, support, and generosity you’ve shown me and my family,’ Christian wrote.
‘What you’ve done means more than you can imagine, and we will be forever grateful. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Sending love and a big hug to you all.’
Mr Vulpis’s death has sparked an outpouring of tributes from shattered friends.
A recent social media post showed the devoted chef inspecting steak
Davide previously worked as head chef and private caterer in Ibiza
The much-loved chef had been living and working in Sydney for at least a year
‘As teachers, we’re prepared to let our students go when they graduate or move on to something better, but never like this, in the blink of an eye,’ one woman wrote.
‘I’ll miss your beautiful energy every day, your travel stories, your insightful questions, and the 10 cups of coffee you drank in class.’
Another wrote: ‘You walked through our lives with a presence that left a mark, discreet but powerful, silent but full of love.
‘You have been a wonderful uncle to our children, a soul brother to my husband, and a sincere partner in crime to me.
‘Our best man on the most beautiful day, and our support in the most difficult ones. We’ll miss everything about you – your smile, your words, and the silences that spoke.’
Mr Vulpis’s death comes weeks after an Australian man was killed in a horror scooter crash in Bali.
Bryce Alexander Black, 33, from the NSW Central Coast, was riding a scooter in North Kuta when he crashed head-on with a car on December 28.
His partner, Samantha Baillie, also 33, suffered critical injuries.
