In memorium | Photo: Shutterstock
The restaurant industry takes a toll on both the mental and physical health of those dedicated to it and those working on the sidelines. This past year, several lost their lives, including a beloved chef and Food Network star, a groundbreaking Vietnamese restaurateur, the founder of the bakery cafe that launched Panera Bread, and the nonagenarian operator of some of NYC’s longest-running eateries. Here’s a look back at their lives.
Junior Bridgeman
Basketball star turned franchisee
When he retired from the Milwaukee Bucks in 1987, Junior Bridgeman invested in restaurants. By the time he got out of the business in 2016, his holdings included 240 Wendy’s and 120 Chili’s locations. Bridgeman was a self-made billionaire and forged a path for professional athletes to build a career once their playing days were over.
Athletes including Shaquille O’Neal, Magic Johnson, Drew Brees and Peyton Manning followed his lead and invested in the restaurant industry. Bridgeman went on to become a Coca-Cola bottler, purchase the magazines Ebony and Jet, and buy a 10% interest in the Milwaukee Bucks. He died in March of a heart attack at age 71.
Junior Bridgeman | Photo courtesy of University of Louisville
Anne Burrell
Spiky-haired TV chef
Food Network fans first became acquainted with Anne Burrell as a sous chef on Iron Chef America. She immediately radiated star power and culinary talent, which led to her own show, Secrets of a Restaurant Chef, in 2008. It ran for nine seasons, but she was best known for hosting the Worst Cooks in America, a platform that showcased her infectious personality and passion for food. Burrell also made appearances on Chopped, Food Network Star and House of Knives, which premiered earlier this year.
Along with her TV fame, she authored two cookbooks: “Cook Like a Rock Star” and “Own Your Kitchen: Recipes to Inspire and Empower.”
Burrell graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in 1996, then pursued her love of Italian cuisine by attending the Italian Culinary Institute for Foreigners. She later worked at Felidia in New York City under famed chef/restaurateur Lidia Bastianich.
Outside the kitchen, Burrell was dedicated to philanthropy, serving on the advisory board of the Garden of Dreams Foundation, as a celebrity ambassador for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and as a longtime member of City Harvest’s Food Council.
The chef died in June at 55. In July, her death was ruled a suicide.
Anne Burrell | Photo: Shutterstock
Helen L. Coleman
Seattle’s queen of soul food
Oxtails with gravy, pork chops, collard greens, corn cakes and more made Ms. Helen’s Soul Food a must-visit dining destination in Seattle’s Central District.
Ms. Helen was Helen L. Coleman, who ran the restaurant for decades. She died in November at age 90. Along with her cooking, she was famous for her blunt manner, according to her obit in the Seattle Times. Both attracted legions of fans, including celebrities like B.B. King, Muhammad Ali, Ernestine Anderson, Richard Pryor and Ken Griffey Jr.
Coleman was born in Texas, later moving to Oklahoma City and Los Angeles. She first learned to cook from her grandmother, telling the Seattle Times in 2003 that since she was a kid, she wanted to be in the restaurant business. Ms. Helen’s Soul Food was a realization of her dream.
Shelly Fireman | Photo courtesy of Fireman Hospitality Group
Shelly Fireman
Prolific NYC restaurateur
Shelly (nee Sheldon) Fireman opened his first restaurant, The Hip Bagel, in Greenwich Village in 1963, and went on to operate numerous independents through his Fireman Hospitality Group well into his 90s.
Their names were familiar to New Yorkers and tourists alike, as several of his restaurants were open for decades and located close to popular destinations like Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. The illustrious list includes Fiorello Café (51 years), Trattoria Dell’Arte (37 years), Brooklyn Diner (30 years) and Redeye Grill (29 years)—all currently open. At the time of his death in October, he was still launching projects, including Café Fiorello DC and Paris Bar and Le Jardin in NYC’s Le Meridien Central Park hotel.
Not only did Fireman and his restaurants boast longevity, many of his GMs had been with the company for over 20 years. The master restaurateur had hundreds of employees and was known as a loyal, family-oriented boss.
But Fireman didn’t limit his talents to running successful restaurants. He was also a well-regarded designer and sculptor who collaborated with such famous artists as Peter Max, Milton Glaser and Red Grooms.
At his memorial service in November, nearly 200 New Yorkers gathered at his Redeye Grill, with notables from across several walks of life paying tribute. In attendance were Jerry Seinfeld, gourmet retailer Eli Zabar, meat mogul Pat LaFrieda, PJ Clarke’s Phil Scotti and Gallagher’s Dean Poll.
Shelly Fireman died of a stroke at 93.
Patsy Grimaldi
Trendsetting pizzaiolo
Patsy Grimaldi was born into a pizza family. His parents operated Patsy’s Pizzeria in NYC’s East Harlem, where Grimaldi worked before venturing out on his own. His Patsy’s Pizzeria, opened with his wife Carol in Brooklyn in 1990, was later renamed Grimaldi’s and boasted a coal oven—the first built in New York City in over 50 years.
Coal-fired brick-oven pizza sparked a movement that elevated pizza making to artisan status and is still evolving today. Grimaldi sold the pizzeria and its naming rights, and today there are over 40 Grimaldi’s Pizzerias throughout the U.S. But he didn’t get out of the pizza business entirely; 13 years later he opened Juliana’s at the original Grimaldi’s site in Brooklyn.
That pizzeria, named for his mother, was still going strong when Grimaldi passed away from natural causes in February. He was 93.
Charles Phan | Photo courtesy of The Slanted Door Instagram
Charles Phan
Trailblazer of Vietnamese cuisine
When Charles Phan came to the U.S. from Vietnam at age 13, one of his many responsibilities was cooking for the family, learning from his mother and aunt. He picked up his Western cooking skills by watching chefs on TV, including Jacques Pepin.
With a passion for food but no formal training, Phan opened The Slanted Door restaurant in 1995 in San Francisco’s Mission District, combining Vietnamese cuisine with local ingredients to create a style that gained him national attention and a number of industry accolades. Phan won a James Beard Award for Best Chef in 2004, was named to the foundation’s Who’s Who of Food & Beverage in America in 2011, and The Slanted Door was honored as the country’s Outstanding Restaurant in 2014.
The Slanted Door’s location in San Francisco’s Ferry Building closed as a result of the pandemic, but others remain in Napa and San Ramon, California, as well as a post in a luxury hotel in Beaune, France. Phan also operated a casual banh mi sandwich concept called Chuck’s Takeaway.
“Charles was more than a chef,” the family said in the post at the time of his death. “He was one of the most generous humans. He donated his time and resources to countless charities for decades.” Phan died of cardiac arrest at 62 in January.
Ken Rosenthal
Sourdough bread guru
Ken Rosenthal learned the secrets of baking sourdough bread from Roger Brunello, owner of San Francisco’s Le Boulanger bakery. In 1987, he opened Saint Louis Bread Company in Kirkwood, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis. That first location was the forerunner of what would become Panera Bread, the mega bakery-café chain that has grown to over 2,200 locations.
Sourdough bread was the star in the beginning, but Rosenthal also offered a selection of croissants, muffins, breakfast pastries and sandwiches. By 1993, Saint Louis Bread Company had expanded to 20 units and was acquired by Au Bon Pain for $24 million. In 1997 Au Bon Pain changed its corporate name to Panera Bread.
Rosenthal died in February at age 81 from Alzheimer’s disease. At the time of his death, Ron Shaich, visionary former CEO of Panera Bread, wrote on LinkedIn “With great love, we say goodbye to our dear friend and the founder of St. Louis Bread Company, Ken Rosenthal. He was truly a gentle man who touched so many lives—most certainly mine. May his memory be a blessing to all of us.”
Andre Soltner
The legend behind Lutèce
Lutèce set the standard for the quintessential New York City French restaurant in the 20th century, and Andre Soltner was the talented and charming chef-owner who commandeered the back- and front-of-house. Soltner died in January at 92, leaving behind a lasting legacy.
The restaurateur, educator and mentor to many in the industry was born in France and began his culinary journey there, emigrating to the U.S. to become the chef at Lutèce under former owner Andre Surmain, eventually becoming a partner. Soltner was renowned for never taking a day off, manning the stove and working the tables at Lutèce for decades.
Soltner sold his share in the restaurant in 1994 to become one of the deans at NYC’s French Culinary Institute, transitioning to teaching the next generation of chefs before retiring to Charlottesville, Virginia, where he passed away.
Sonny Tillman | Photo courtesy of Sonny’s Real Pit Barbecue Facebook
Floyd “Sonny” Tillman
Pioneering pitmaster
Sonny’s Real Pit Barbecue got its start in 1968 in Gainesville, Floria, founded by Floyd “Sonny” Tillman and his wife, Lucille. Nine years later, they began franchising and the restaurant now counts 91 units, mostly in the Southeast. Tillman died in December at the age of 96.
The menu of the original Sonny’s was based on authentic slow-smoked Southern barbecue, using oak wood to impart a signature flavor. But Sonny’s was as well known for its welcoming, down-home ambience as it was for the plates piled with pulled pork, ribs, brisket and chicken. The chain still prepares its meats the same way Tillman did, although its ownership is now outside the family.
Although Tillman gained fame as a barbecue entrepreneur, he was also known for his love for and loyalty to Florida Gator Athletics, according to his obit.
Saul Zabar
Smoked fish maven
Saul Zabar turned his family’s Manhattan grocery store into a famous emporium for smoked fish, coffee, cheese, baked goods, cookware and more. The original narrow shop now covers almost an entire block on New York City’s Upper West Side. Zabar and his brother, Stanley, worked Zabar’s together, also launching a thriving mail-order business.
Although not a restaurant, Zabar’s has had a significant impact on the evolving food scene in New York. Saul Zabar oversaw operations for more than 70 years, making sure every side of smoked salmon and every coffee bean was perfect. Two of his children are now in the business.
Saul Zabar passed away in October at 97. The cause was a brain bleed.
Wolfgang Zwiener | Photo courtesy of Wolfgang’s Steakhouse
Wolfgang Zwiener
From waiter to steakhouse royalty
Waiters at Peter Luger’s in Brooklyn, New York, have earned a reputation for their brusque manner and longevity on the job. Wolfgang Zwiener worked the tables at the famed steakhouse for 39 years, but at retirement, he didn’t stray far from the restaurant world.
According to his obit in the New York Times, Zwiener’s brothers talked him into opening Wolfgang’s Steakhouse in 2004, building it into a successful restaurant through his strength of service and exacting standards both in the kitchen and dining room. The former waiter soon expanded Wolfgang’s, opening several more locations in New York City, a couple in New Jersey, and branches in Los Angeles, Hawaii and as far away Hong Kong, Japan, Manila and China.
At the time of Zwiener’s death in January at 85, there were 35 Wolfgang’s Steakhouses around the world.
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a Restaurant Business member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.
