The “world’s best chef” was found dead in his home in Switzerland over the weekend in what appeared to be a stress-related suicide, reports said Monday.

Benoît Violier, 44, ran a renowned Swiss restaurant that gained worldwide recognition in December when it was crowned the best in the world by France’s Foreign Ministry.

The French-born chef had beaten out 1,000 others in 48 countries. New York City’s Per Se came in second.

But the pressure of being on top would prove too much for Violier.

Fueled by the stress of his job, the Michelin-starred chef took his own life on Sunday night — shooting himself with a hunting rifle inside his home in Crissier, according to French reports.

While authorities have opened an investigation, they said they are “99 percent certain” the cause of death is a suicide by firearm.

News of Violier’s passing shocked the culinary community Monday as the much-anticipated Michelin Guide released its 2016 edition for France. Violier had been scheduled to appear at the event and was supposed to take a train to Paris Sunday morning, according to French media reports.

Organizers chose to start the proceedings with a moment of silence in his honor.

While police did not officially release a motive, some of Violier’s closest friends said that being tasked with running the world’s best restaurant — coupled with the back-to-back losses of his father and his mentor, Philippe Rochat, last year — had ultimately taken its toll on the chef.

The burden of being the best was something that Violier often stressed, saying his level of obsession was absolutely necessary in order to maintain such high standards in his restaurant, which was awarded three stars in Michelin’s Swiss guide in November.

“It’s my life. I go to sleep with cooking, I wake up to cooking,” he said in an interview with Swiss TV RTS, according to the Guardian.