Rising Culinary Star Gianna Buzzetta Killed in Hawaii Hiking Accident

OCEANSIDE, Calif. — Gianna Buzzetta, a 26-year-old executive pastry chef at a Michelin-starred restaurant in Carlsbad, California, tragically died last weekend in a hiking accident while vacationing in Hawaii.

Buzzetta was exploring the Makaleha Falls Trail in Kapaʻa, Kauai, fulfilling her dream of seeing a waterfall, according to her parents, Caty and Sal Buzzetta. On March 23, shortly after reaching the falls and standing in the pool below, a large boulder fell and struck her.

“She had told her boyfriend, Connor, that day he had fulfilled her dreams and it was the best day of her life,” said Caty Buzzetta in an interview.

According to fire officials, Connor was with Buzzetta when he heard a loud noise but could not determine its source. “Within a second, it happened,” Sal Buzzetta said. “The rock dislodged from quite a ways up… then it landed on her.”

Connor managed to pull Gianna from the water, but with no cell phone service available, he had to run for help. Gianna was later airlifted to a nearby hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries. Her parents arrived in time to say their final goodbyes.

“Something is missing inside you, a part of us,” Sal Buzzetta expressed, while Caty described the overwhelming sense of loss. “It’s like something is sucked out of you,” she said.

Caty characterized her daughter as “beyond determined,” highlighting how Gianna channeled her passion for cooking to express love and creativity. “She poured her love into her work as a chef,” she added.

Amid their grief, the Buzzetta family is finding solace in their faith and the beauty of Gianna’s final moments. “She was in nature. That was her element. She was with the love of her life,” Caty reflected. “In a glimpse of time, she had pure bliss, no one could take that from her or us. She was living in the moment best she ever had, and that’s priceless.”

To assist the family with funeral and other expenses, a fundraiser has been established.

This tragic news has garnered widespread attention as the local community mourns the loss of a promising talent.