Food writer KF Seetoh pens tribute to brother who died in Italy house explosion

Food critic, restauranteur, and entrepreneur KF Seetoh has penned a tribute to his brother, Seetoh Kwok Meng, after he died in an explosion at his house in central Italy on Dec. 21, 2024.

In a Facebook post on Dec. 23, KF Seetoh described his brother as the "most jovial" among his siblings, who loathed boring moments and would crack a joke just to ease a situation.

KF Seetoh also described his brother's house at length, highlighting how together with his wife Chang Kai En, it was meant to be a "nice and peaceful" retirement house in Italy's Tuscany region.

Wanted to visit his brother's home

According to the food critic, his sister-in-law "loved her garden" and had neighbours who would help to care for their gardens whenever they travelled back home to Singapore.

In addition, in exchange for taking them out to eat in Singapore, they would gift him some olive oil, pressed from the olives in their garden.

The house was also a "century-old" stone dwelling which his brother had purchased a few years back from a tour guide while on holiday in the region.

KF Seetoh wrote:

"(My brother) loved it at first sight. I regret I never found the chance to visit and 'eat fruits off the tree'. It was on my bucket list. That century old stone house came down like a deck of cards upon explosion and death was instantaneous for both of them."

He also said he glad that his brother and sister-in-law were able to have a "nice" Christmas dinner before the accident.

He added, "But he loves cooking. I hope he makes a great cha hae mee for papa up there too. Of course I will miss them all. Rest in peace Ah Meng and Kai En."

The entrepreneur mentioned how the family was receiving help from Singapore's embassy in Italy and that the whole family is still in shock at the incident.

"He had (planned) to return next month for CNY [Chinese New Year] celebrations," KF Seetoh concluded.

Background

According to Italian media La Nazione, the explosion took place at Eglio Sassi, a small hamlet in the central Italian municipality of Molazzana, at around 11:30pm on Dec. 21.

The deceased and his wife bought their house in the town five years ago and arrived there at the beginning of December 2024 to spend their year-end holidays there, said the mayor, Andrea Talani.

On the day of the incident, the couple returned home after spending the evening with friends at a restaurant in a town nearby and parked their car outside their house, reported Corriere Fiorentino.

Italian media outlet Il Tirreno also reported that the cause of the explosion was "mostly likely a gas leak", as local officials noticed a "strong gas smell" when they arrived at the scene.

Chang is still reported as missing.

Top photos via KF Seetoh/Facebook