Food Network star Anthony Sedlak, who died at his home in North Vancouver on July 6, recently helped showcase his beloved city on the network's Family Cook Off show, shot against the beautiful backdrop of False Creek and the North Shore mountains.

Sedlak was 29 years old and died from an undiagnosed medical condition, according to a family statement. Trish Magwood, who was a judge with Sedlak on the show, choked back emotions as she spoke of Sedlak from her Toronto home.

"He was such a big personality, larger than life, and he'd literally jump into any scenario with his super high energy. We hit it off instantly and we had a ball together, laughing all the time. We couldn't believe we were being paid for what we were doing."

Sedlak also starred in The Main on Food Network Canada. It premiered in 2007. At that time, he wasn't quite the lean, be-jeaned chef of the past few years.

"He'd leave filming to do the Grouse Grind," Magwood says, referring to the gruelling hike up to the summit of Vancouver's Grouse Mountain. "He loved it and would go straight from work. We'd make fun of his earlier cardigan-wearing days."

Sedlak was also a passionate cyclist, logging hundreds of kilometres weekly on his road bike.

Catherine Jheon, managing editor of the Lifestyle department of Food Network Canada, followed Sedlak's trajectory through his 20s. "Over the years, I saw him go from a young man with baby fat to a lean, accomplished and tattooed man about town. I'm so sorry to hear about his death. He was just 29 and had so much more to offer, but I hope his family and friends will find solace in all that he accomplished in his much-too-short life."

Jheon posted a piece she wrote about Sedlak in 2007: "There's a lot of buzz here at the Food Network headquarters about Anthony Sedlak and, having met him, I can see why. The man, once described as the love child of Jamie Oliver and Anthony Bourdain, is charming, charismatic and an accomplished chef."

John Richie, partner at Force Four Entertainment, produced Family Cook Off and another show Sedlak appeared in — Million Dollar Neighbourhood, shot in Aldergrove, B.C. He remembers Sedlak as "a very, very talented guy and a real gentleman."

"He was an absolute pleasure to work with and I'm so, so sorry he's gone. He was incredibly personable, and everybody he came in contact with enjoyed his presence. He energized everybody with his joking around on and off camera, lightening the mood and making sure everybody was having a great time. That's my strongest memory. Every day he came to set was a new adventure."

Sedlak created a stir when he was hired as the executive chef for the Corner Suite Bistro Deluxe (now closed) in Vancouver in 2010. But he left the position before the restaurant opened, just before the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. He had two substantial project offers, he said at the time.

Sedlak wasn't just a TV personality. As a chef, "he totally knew his stuff," Magwood says.

"He really appreciated the opportunities he had and of people who gave them to him. He adored John (Richie) and would be non-stop appreciative."

Richie says: "We're hoping to set up a trust or something to remember him by."

Sedlak was born in Prince George, B.C. He began his restaurant career at 13 as a bus boy at a café on Grouse Mountain. "Fourteen was the legal age," he said in 2009. "Who knows how I got the job."

He was named employee of the month a year later for his can-do, hardworking ways. His next job was at a one-Michelin star restaurant in London where he worked his way to sous chef. He returned to Vancouver to become the sous chef at Grouse Mountain's fine-dining restaurant, the Grouse Nest, now called The Observatory.

His TV career began when he won a chef's competition on Food Network's Superstar Chef Challenge. When he got his own gig, The Main, on the network, he said: "To be honest, before this, I wanted to open my own restaurant. You don't know what's going to happen, right? It's up to the public whether I'm going to make being on TV a career."

Each episode of The Main revolved around an ingredient that was easy to find at the grocery store, and featured Sedlak — full of energy as he punctuated his explanations with his hands — walking viewers through recipes that ranged from complex Middle Eastern feasts to a grilled cheese sandwich.

Sedlak's cookbook, also called The Main, was published in 2008. It became a Canadian bestseller.

A private funeral service for the family will be held in Vancouver.