Red Newt Bistro's Debra Whiting Dies
The chef and owner of the Finger Lakes' Red Newt Bistro has died in a car accident; her winemaker husband, Dave, is in stable condition
Posted: Jul 1, 2011 11:00am ET
Debra
Whiting, chef and owner of Red Newt Bistro in Hector, N.Y., one of the Finger
Lakes' most popular restaurants, was killed last night when the car she and her
husband were driving in was involved in an accident. The couple was returning
home to the Finger Lakes after working in Vermont.
Whiting's
husband, Dave, winemaker at Red Newt Cellars, was also injured in the crash. He
is currently listed in stable condition at Syracuse Upstate University
Hospital. No further details are available at this time.
Whiting
was a strong believer in locally sourced ingredients and her restaurant was
beloved for its casual atmosphere, professional service and constantly changing
menu that featured the best of upstate New York agriculture. Both Whitings were
considered ambassadors for the region's budding wine industry and Red Newt
Bistro always offered a comprehensive wine list of Finger Lakes wines from both
their own and many of their colleagues' wineries. The couple wrote a guest blog for Wine Spectator in autumn 2008.
"She was
a wonderful human being who will be sorely missed," said Bob Madill, owner of
Sheldrake Point Winery. "The Whitings started their business around the same
time I started this and wine and food really brought us together over the years. There
are few people as passionate and generous as Deb and this is a devastating loss
for such a small region as ours."
The
winery is currently open for business but the bistro is closed until further
notice. The couple has two sons, Ryan and Brenton.
You can now follow James Molesworth on Twitter, at http://twitter.com/jmolesworth1.
What a terrible tragedy. Thoughts and prayers to Dave and his family.