After 11 days missing, Hilton Head chef found ‘safe and unharmed’ near his home
After a week-and-a-half long disappearance, police found prominent Hilton Head Island chef Michael Cirafesi safe and unharmed with the help of a reported sighting Wednesday morning.
Beaufort County deputies received a call just before 10:45 Wednesday from a passerby who had spotted Cirafesi somewhere in the Sea Pines area, said Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Maj. Angela Viens. Cirafesi’s family lives in Sea Pines, but it was not immediately clear how close to his home he was found.
Wednesday morning’s discovery ended a multi-day search for Cirafesi, who was considered endangered by police for reasons undisclosed to the public. Cirafesi is an executive chef and co-owner of the restaurant OMBRA Cucina Italiana on Hilton Head.
Cirafesi was born in Norristown, Pennsylvania and was raised in the heart of the city’s Italian neighborhood, just miles away from Philadelphia. He moved to Hilton Head in 2002, quickly becoming one of the island’s most highly decorated executive chefs. Partnering with his mentor Nunzio Patruno, he opened OMBRA in 2013 in The Village at Wexford, a shopping mall off of William Hilton Parkway just north of the Sea Pines traffic circle.
This story was originally published November 8, 2023 at 1:07 PM.
