In Honor of a Great Friend

Chef Michael LaDuke here and thank you for visiting the Red Lobster Chef's Blog. As I am sure you are aware, writing this blog and filming the chef videos takes a whole team of extremely talented people and a lot of hard work.

Sadly, last Friday, we at Red Lobster learned that a member of that team, and a good friend of mine, Jon Barkan, had passed away suddenly at the age of 39.

Jon was one of the creative forces behind the Chef's Blog and was the person who continued to make us work, and make us laugh. A truly unique person, he was never too busy to return a phone call, or just drop me a note to say hello and check in on the latest seafood news and our beloved New York Giants.

Jon's love for life and his family was unmatched, and his involvement in countless community and religious projects was amazing. While Jon was perhaps the busiest person I have ever met, he always had time to talk about his wife, daughters and his newborn son, ask about my family, and stump me with sports trivia.

Whether we were at a 3 am video shoot, or having Sicilian pizza at Bostones on Newbury Street in Boston, Jon made life and work that much better. I will truly miss him. Jon leaves behind a legacy of friendship that stretched from coast to coast, and thankfully into my life.

It is said that the measure of a person's greatness is in how many lives they have touched, I believe this is true, and I believe my friend Jon is the greatest of them all.

Thank you for allowing me to share.

Regards,
Michael LaDuke