Chris L’Hommedieu, a well-known and beloved San Francisco chef, died on Wednesday after a battle with cancer. His wife, Kendra Stanley, confirmed his death. He was 44 years old.

Born and raised on the East Coast, where he also met his wife, L’Hommedieu was quietly one of the city’s best chefs, a key force behind the scenes at restaurants run by big-name chefs like Michael Mina, Thomas Keller and Nancy Oakes. He was lovingly described by friends as the Kevin Bacon of the Bay Area food world because he seemingly was connected to everyone in the chef community, and also because he mentored countless younger chefs.

He came up in the industry at Aqua, working his way up to executive chef at Michael Mina Restaurant at the Westin Hotel when it earned four stars. In between, he helped Thomas Keller and Jonathan Benno open Per Se in New York as executive sous chef. More recently, he was the chef at Prospect, though he made his name as a key component of the Mina Group.

In a 2011 interview with The Chronicle, Mina praised L’Hommedieu’s presence in the kitchen, describing him as a strong voice and a strong leader: “Chris did it right. He took his steps based on being so well-rounded.”

L’Hommedieu died at home comfortably and peacefully this afternoon,his wife said, surrounded by many industry people as well as close friends and family. He suffered from the same rare appendix cancer that Zuni Cafe’s Judy Rodgers succumbed to earlier this year.

“He was a beloved, devoted, passionate, incredible man, beyond words. Everyone who knows him would say that,” said Stanley. “He was generous beyond words.”

A fundraising event in L’Hommedieu’s memory is scheduled for Sept. 21; expect more details on the event in the coming weeks. If anyone else in the industry has memories and thoughts on L’Hommedieu, please share in the comments or directly with me.