Ron Kaplan (ronnie_suburban) Steps Down

[Chris Amirault]

As we just announced here, Ron Kaplan (ronnie_suburban) is stepping down from his role as an eGullet Society volunteer. During his tenure, Ron was the host of the Heartland forum and worked on several other Society projects. Ron will continue to participate as a member and will carry the emeritus staff designation, but we'd like to take this opportunity to thank him for his service.

Please use this topic for food-related reminiscences about Ron's tenure. For personal notes of thanks, please use the personal messenger system.

It'll come as no surprise that my own personal reminiscences are related to Ron's deep and abiding relationship to his sausage. (Stop snickering.) There are few members or volunteers with his enthusiasm, great humor, and willingness to dive into ground pork up to his elbows. Whenever I chatted with Ron about cure times or soaking casing, I had this image in mind:

What's not to love?

Thanks for everything, Ron -- and we'll be happy to see you around the forums.

[docsconz]

Ron was a fantastic host and Manager who has become a close personal friend. While he has done much to enhance the Society, I think his most significant work as a member of the staff had to do with his involvement with Alinea and The Alinea Project. For that alone, I will be perpetually grateful.

[akebono]

ron, aka papa bear ,aka santy klaus,

thanks for talking me down from that tree

outside of soldier field at that dead show.

you were right. 10 hits of liquid was a little too much.

thanks for pulling 'the other place' from the pits of a personal hell.

thanks for always being there.

ronnie, you're one in ten million.

sorry we lost touch as of late.

-m

happy trails, inc.

[Brad Ballinger]

As someone who lives in the Heartlans, although not around chicago like Ron, I greatly appreaciate his dedication to that forum. It is one that represents all of the Heartland, but still gives Chicago all the props it is due.

[tommy]

Ron (and another egullet poster) acted as my food tour guide on more than one trip to Chicago. Quite gracious, all things considered, and invaluable for a guy who wanted to dive into the Chicago good scene head-first. I'll be looking forward to his no-BS straight-forward real-and-honest agenda-free input on the Chicago board. It's always appreciated.

[ludja]

Ron's generosity in posting and sharing his food experiences along with his wonderful style have drawn me into many Heartland threads and topics. Thank you for instigating and nurturing many interesting threads and thank you for all the work you've done behind the scenes as well.

One of the memorable threads that Ron started is The Paprika: Confessions of an Addict

Again, I think it is his generosity, enthusiasm and knowledge that have so far resulted in almost 200 posts to the joys of paprika! It's one of my favorites!

Here's part of his firat post on that thread...

...

Paprika, 7 ways

Big differences in color, texture and aroma

...

←

[oneidaone]

Aloha Ronnie and Big Mahalo's for all your work and dedication to the

society. Your efforts and time made me homesick every now and then for the

great Heartland especially Chicago and the 'burbs. I appreciate your tenure and

wish you the best. Looking forward to your continued participation in posting and

maybe just maybe we can get together as we've tried when I'm back in the

area. Mekealoha Pumehana, a hui hou

[molto e]

Many thanks to Ron for all the time and effort that he has put in to the Society. Before I ever met the infamous Ronnie S., I had been an avid follower of the Alinea thread and now I count him as a good friend ( and supplier of top notch products of the swine, salmon, and wagyu).

Eliot

[maggiethecat]

I'm beyond proud to call ronnie a friend. Wiith him, what you see is what you get: bon vivant, passionate cook, informed diner, family man, standup guy and Cubs fan. I'm looking forward to whatever you share with us on the forums going forward. (And thanks for the review of Custom House -- best meal out I've had forever.)

(And Deadhead, of course!)

[Mayhaw Man]

Well, except for that Deadhead thing (everyone has something in their misguided youth that they might want to take a look at), Ronnie is one of the most standup guys that I have ever met around here.

He did a tremendously interesting, important and pain in the ass thing by putting together that whole Alinea project. That work is referenced in just about every article that is written about Grant Achatz and for good reason-it was really the first time that one of those avant garde space chefs really put his thought and work process out there for wild eyed foodies to see. It was fascinating to be involved with, in even a small way, and watching the work he did made me admire Ronnie all the more.

His input over that last few years has been large and varied-kind of like Ronnie, now that I think about it. We'll all be poorer without it. Hopefully he will make up for it as a poster and participant. I'll look forward to that.

And I hope, if I write enough nice stuff (ever the unapologetic suckup am I) I too will be invited to one of his giant Holiday soirees or, better yet, a Cubs game, or, better yet, I will be able to take him out to eat sometime in our not so fair city by the river. I would like that very much. We don't have those weird hot dogs or upside down pizza, but I'm pretty sure that I can get him away from the table with a smile on his face.

Good luck, Bubba.

[hjshorter]

I had the great pleasure of cooking with Ronnie at Varmint's second Pig Pickin', and of lunching with him (and Maggie, and the g-man) at Nuevo Leon during my last trip to Chicago. You're a great cook, a veritable salami inspiration, and one of the all-around good guys. I'll be back in your town someday, dude, and not just because of the great Mexican food.

[Tess]

Ronnie, you are the best! You may not remember this discussion, but it turned out that our relatives are buried pretty much neck to neck in Memorial Park. (My grandfather has an underground pipeline to Schafer's Liquors. ) Hope to see you in person before we both wind up there.

[Pan]

What could I possibly add about Ronnie's posts about food, except that his great foodblogs (first one;second one) have yet to be mentioned.

I was very happy to have worked with Ronnie. He was always a straight talker, a hard worker, and a man of integrity whose word you could trust. As others have pointed out, he did a great deal of work for egullet.com and the eGullet Society which represented an in kind donation to a website which he had enjoyed so much since the time when he started posting. I hope you continue to post whenever the mood strikes you, Ronnie, and I wish you a great life as an emeritus member!

[ronnie_suburban]

Wow! Thank you everyone, for the very kind comments. It's been a pleasure to have 'broken bread' with all of you -- some on-line and some actually in person. I will say that this thread is a little bit like attending my own funeral, so if I owe any of you money, my sincere apologies.

But seriously, I'll still be around, reading the forums on a regular basis and, hopefully, contributing something interesting every once in a while. It's our shared obsession which brought us all together and for me, that's still as strong as ever. I'm most certainly a 'food determinist' type of guy and I don't foresee that ever changing.

Now, what's for lunch?

=R=

[moosnsqrl]

Now, what's for lunch?

=R=

←

Jeez, I go to a meeting for an hour, come home and what happens? Ronnie leaves and all the good stuff to say about him has already been said.

All that is left, culinarily speaking, is to answer your question: wagyu pastrami.

But who could eat at a time like this?

[Jean Blanchard]

Ronnie,

Thanks so much for all of your great restaurant tips and I'll forever be grateful for leading me to Reagan's! I always enjoy reading your posts so I hope to continue to see you here often.

jb

[Peter B Wolf]

Thanks, and nothing but " Thank Yous "

You are, yes still, one of the greater contributors to eGullet.

Thanks again

[snowangel]

Thanks, Ron, for all you have done. And, BTW, it's really much easier to use the KA food grinder if you put the KA on the floor and sit on a chair. Less of that "arms in the air" upper body workout!

[edsel]

One of the memorable threads that Ron started is The Paprika: Confessions of an Addict

Again, I think it is his generosity, enthusiasm and knowledge that have so far resulted in almost 200 posts to the joys of paprika!  It's one of my favorites!

One of my favorites as well. What a great post!

wagyu pastrami.

Oh yeah! Ronnie's pastrami was a life-changing experience. The charcuterie he contributed to the Heartland Gathering last year was memorable, to say the least.

Thank you, Ron, for your stewardship of the "Heartland" forum. Those of us from outside of Chicago especially appreciate the encouragement you've offered over the years. Thank you so much for your tireless dedication to Heartland cooking.

[ronnie_suburban]

Again, thank you all, for the kind comments. One great thing about the Heartland forum is that it encompasses so much territory. Because of that, I've had the opportunity to meet -- and eat with -- so many great, food-loving folks who I might not have met otherwise.

Last summer, when my family and I took our first-ever road trip across the midwest, we had the pleasure to meet up with enthusiastic hosts in every city we visitied. For a food lover like myself, nothing is more special than someone sharing their favorite place(s) with me. I feel so much richer for the experience and know that, in spite of my stepping down, the food camaraderie we've cultivated will continue to grow.

=R=

[yellow truffle]

Ron, the Heartland forum will not be the same without you at the helm. As HMFIC of the Alinea project, you have generated some wonderful articles that is integral to each of the threads. Your kindness and generosity will surely be missed. Good luck, sir.

Here is looking at you kid.

[Fresser]

At many a Heartland dinner, I was proud to serve as Big Brother and punching-bag for Ronnie's munchkin Lucas. Nobody can smoke a brisket like Ronnie.

[ronnie_suburban]

As HMFIC of the Alinea project, you have generated some wonderful articles that is integral to each of the threads.

←

Anthony, without your continual and expert assistance, the Alinea Project wouldn't have been nearly what it was. Thank you for your amazing eye and unending dedication. Your understanding of the territory lent a level of insight to the project that I could never have provided on my own.

=R=

[Lady T]

H'mf. I turn my back for a month or so, and Ronnie wiggles off the hook?! Well, all right then: I'll simply have to step up a bit and make sure I can catch him in person at a Heartlander gathering, rather than on line. Surely I'll see him at Nuevo Leon, or Sweets and Savories, or Opera, or or or...

Good faring and fine dining, maestro!