The skilled chef left his job as chef at Nashville’s Yolan in February after working at New York City’s Per Se.

People who work in restaurants and runners in Nashville are sad about the death of Joey Fecci. He died soon after finishing the city’s half-marathon over the weekend.

The chef, who was only 26 years old, was running the St. Jude Half Marathon when he seemed to pass out. At the Shelby Park part of the race, he was found unresponsive.

He got emergency medical care at the scene and was then rushed to the hospital, where he died. According to WSMV, the cause of death has not been released other than “natural causes,” and the death is not being investigated.

According to The Tennessean, Joey’s family said in a statement on Monday, “It is with unbearable grief and immense sorrow that we share that our dear and beloved Joey transitioned to the other side on Saturday, April 27th.”

“He was an inspiration and a source of happiness for everyone who met him.” Many people loved him as a son, brother, boyfriend, and friend. His family is broken, but they love him very much. “A more detailed statement will follow,” it said. It was signed by Eric, Patti, Nick, Lucas, and Olivia, who has been his girlfriend for over three years.

The St. Jude Marathon and Half Marathon are owned by the Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series, which also released a statement about the sad event. The group said, “We appreciate the medical staff who worked quickly to help the participant.”

It went on to say, “Our deepest condolences go out to the family and friends of the race participant. We will continue to support them as they go through this very hard time.” We will not say anything else out of respect for the participant and their family.

The Tennessean says that Joey started working as a chef when he was 15 years old, when he was a busboy, a pizza chef, and a garde manger at a restaurant in his hometown called Lucia.

After that, he went to the famous Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park and worked at restaurants with Michelin stars like Aureole and Per Se, which is owned by Thomas Keller.

He most recently worked at Yolan, a high-end Italian restaurant at The Joseph hotel in downtown Nashville. In 2022, he was promoted from head sous chef to chef de cuisine, and he left the restaurant in February of this year.

Joey wrote on Instagram that he was leaving, as his last job, that he had been a part of something truly great for the last three and a half years. It has been an amazing experience to work with @tonymantuano and @ms.cathym19 and help make Yolan the unique restaurant it is today.

“This place has taught me a lot, not only as a chef but also as a person,” he said, ending with the hashtag “We Out.”