Eric Villegas

Eric H Villegas, 67, of Williamston, Michigan, passed away unexpectedly at his home on September 19, 2026.

Eric was born in Saginaw, Michigan to loving parents Alfonso and Martha Villegas. In a preview of his future life, Eric is remembered as a 4 year old in his red flannel robe, standing on a stool in his parents’ home smiling broadly cooking eggs on the stove.

Chef Eric got his initial degree at Michigan State University, then pivoted to the culinary arts. He attended École de Cuisine La Varenne and Academie du Vin in Paris after which, he gained restaurant experience in the classic kitchens of France’s gastronomic capital of Lyon. He returned to the US focusing on the service aspect of hospitality at the New England Culinary Institute in Vermont. From 1987-2007 Chef Eric owned and operated two of Michigan’s most unique and award winning regional restaurants, Dusty’s Wine Bar and his eponymous flagship, Restaurant Villegas, where he honed his own signature style of food and hospitality.

Decades before it was mainstream, he championed the farm to table approach, inspired by the revolutionary Alice Waters, Michigan’s local agriculture and the incredible craftspeople behind it. Restaurant Villegas was a triumph. Chef Eric not only received rave reviews for his stylish hospitality (Jazz Nights were a crowd favorite) and upscale regional cuisine, he became an important collaborator in the capital area food landscape, collaborating with 70-100 individual food purveyors to get local food into his restaurant.

In 2001, Fork in the Road with Eric Villegas debuted on Michigan public television. Part cooking show, part culinary exploration, the program featured Chef Eric traveling to visit and interview artisan farmers, ranchers, and craft food makers in the Great Lakes, then using their food to create dishes in his own elevated, contemporary Midwestern style. Fork in the Road gave an avenue to Chef Eric’s talents as a chef as well as his flair for entertainment. Viewers of the show will remember his quips as “Unkle E” addressing all the “culinary cats and kittens” in their journey to becoming “gastronauts”. He signed off every episode with a catchphrase that he felt deeply in his heart: “Think global, eat local!” The program eventually gained national distribution on PBS, leading to a companion cookbook and winning two Emmys’ and three Tellys.

In 2019 the International Sous Vide Association, ISVA invited Chef Eric to join their advisory committee comprised of a “who’s who” of leaders practicing sous vide. Of course, what he would consider his greatest culinary achievements are the meals he prepared for his family- always commemorated with a custom printed menu- from holidays, to birthdays, graduation dinners to an epic Stranger Things finale watch party. Because his finest accomplishment in life was that of a beloved father, brother, uncle, cousin, and friend.

Anyone who knew Eric knows his immense love and infectious spirit was the true core of his personhood. He is preceded in death by his parents Alfonso and Martha, and is survived by his beloved daughter Sophia and sister Patricia along with his nieces, former partner, aunt and cousins.

A remembrance celebration of Eric's life will be held on Sunday, November 1, 2026, at 12 PM at Gorsline Runciman Funeral Home, 1730 E. Grand River Ave., East Lansing, MI 48823. Visitation gathering will start at 11 AM until the time of service.

Please, no flowers or donations. Instead, we simply ask that you remember Eric as the loving, kind, and caring person he was, and keep his memory close to your heart.