In Memoriam

Early this morning, a dear friend of mine passed away. He was a colleague in the profession of teaching. I could always count on him for solid advice, whether it was about professional or family matters. His words comforted me during a moment of intense hardship last year. And, for that, I was incredibly grateful.

Nestor Salan didn't know about this blog or my videos, but he knew about my passion for eating and he encouraged me to pursue eating challenges and contests wherever possible. He was one of the few people I knew who was constantly asking: "So what'd you eat this weekend?"

We were always talking about having eating contests among the school staff to raise spirit among the students. While these never took place, Mr. Salan would have been the first guy to volunteer. Maybe even before me.... building up a sense of the community meant that much to him.

I'll miss the man, but I'll forever remember his words: "I'll be where I need to be when I need to be there." That spirit of optimism and destiny was unshakable.

It's too bad we never had an eating contest. He might have won.