Steven Shaw

[spaghetttti]

A fishpants toast in your honor, Fat Guy ~ peaceful journey, Steven Shaw 

[Pan]

I was shocked to be informed of Steven's death by a friend on Facebook whom I know from our interactions on this site. I have several longstanding friends, several of them fellow musicians, whom I met on eGullet and might never have met otherwise. Like many of the others participating in this thread, it has been years since I posted or read anything on this site - so long, in fact, that I had forgotten my password and had to go through the password recovery process. I learned a lot about food, dining, alcoholic beverages, and the restaurant industry from my years of reading and participating on this site, and I have enjoyed many delicious meals and many hours of great conversation via the friends I made here.

 

I encourage everyone reading this thread who hasn't already done so to read the full New York Times obit and especially the blog post by Jason Perlow. Fat Guy and Jason will always have a place in the history of food blogging and interactive food websites, and I can add some personal recollections of the incredibly impressive illustrated online clinics that were given on different kinds of cooking techniques, the threads on particular dishes that a whole host of people cooked in different ways and posted photos and recipes for every month, the interviews and Q&A's with some of the most famous and cutting-edge chefs and food writers, the incredibly funny threads by Anthony Bourdain (I'll never forget the one in which he said he felt like he had been skull-fucked by a walrus after a night of wining-and-dining debauchery with his friend, Michael Ruhlman).

 

I really can't imagine what a horrible loss this is for Ellen and P.J. I hope you and the others who loved Steven will have friends and relatives around to comfort you in the months and years ahead. My heart goes out to you.

[Jake]

Like so many others, it has been years since I have been active on the site.  I was saddened to hear of Steven's passing and my heart goes out to Ellen and PJ.  Both Steven and Jason were huge influences when I was involved with eG, and recently when my Twitter stream would show that we had been at the same restaurants in our neighborhood, within an hour of each other.  Although this is a sad time, I am thrilled to see so many posts from so many people I enjoyed from days past on eG.

[Panaderia Canadiense]

Words simply can't express.  I've been away for a few months, and this was a terrible shock to come back to - I wish I'd had more time to get to know Steven.  The gods have gained an excellent guest to their dinner party; Steven, you will be sorely missed back here on Earth.

[oneidaone]

Aloha. Like so many of you I join you in saying I have not been posting for quite some time here. I'm not sure why. But what I do know is the shock of reading this terribly

tragic news brought back all the years I did participate. It was so nice to see names from the past with their lovely tributes to Steven. God Bless him and blessings to

his wife, son and family and many friends. I never met him personally but we had several emails back and forth about many things and one of them my good friend

Alan Richman. He had posted about his dinner at Alan's home. The world is sadly missing a really wonderful, innovative, kind, knowledgeable pioneer and to his

beloved credit so many of us were united in community then and now. RIP Steven, Mekealoha Pumehana.

[gingerly]

Another long absent member here. I'd just like to express my gratitude to Steven Shaw for his part in creating this world of exchanges that I have enjoyed enormously. My condolences to his family and friends.

[fiftydollars]

I know... I am again late and some dollars short, but ever since I read Steven died, I have been thinking about all of the things that I learned from him and how many of these things I use every single day. I cannot believe he is gone and that I will never gain another amazing insight from him.

I, as probably most here, never had the pleasure of meeting him in person, but over the years I had a few online interactions with him and I knew him well enough that he asked me not to call him Mr. Shaw.

He was a great teacher. There is a whole host of topics where most of the important things I know about them are things I learned from Steven. These topics include steaks, eggs (!), braising (!!), cast iron, pizza... and the list goes on. I just can't think of one area of my food life that has not been touched by reading Steven's writing. I just can't imagine my life without this guy. I can't. I would have to go back to burned steaks, crusty cast iron, awful kitchen tools, and terrible restaurants... Worst of all; no relish.

Edited April 18, 2014 by fiftydollars (log)

[Jon Savage]

It is impossible to believe, and impossible to believe that i am typing this: Steven Shaw died yesterday morning. His passing was so sudden, and his years so few, that we -- people accustomed to the quick-fire pace of the internet -- are having trouble processing it.

 

So we'll have more to say in a bit. For now, it seems sufficient to point out that, though he had help (and he'd be the first to say that), without Steven, none of us would be here. 

 

Feel free to post your thoughts.

i'm saddened by his passing. Words that I lack can't even begin to express how very much the community he & others built means to me.

[David A. Goldfarb]

I've been away from the forum and for the past three and a half months away from New York, and I just learned the sad and shocking news of Steven's passing from Ellen's post under his account on facebook.

 

Steven was an enormous personality and it came through in his words. I felt we had similar ideas about writing and online community, but he was also a guy living in New York, with a love for food, around my age, with a son around my son's age, and those things made for a natural connection. I will miss his wit and his presence.

[chromedome]

I'm another of the missing-in-action crew from years ago...ironically I didn't come here because I'd heard of Steve's passing, but because my own wife's unexpected death this month left me with time on my hands of an evening. It was quite a shock to click the link and find this thread.

 

My sympathies to Ellen and PJ...I feel for you, I really do.

[Richard Kilgore]

I was stunned when I first heard of Steven's passing. He was a trailblazer and innovator, an inspiration and friend to many, and a man of faith. I still miss him deeply. Sympathies to Ellen and PJ.

[KatieLoeb]

Still saddened and brought to tears reading and thinking about this.  It's been several weeks and I've had time to collect my thoughts.  I'm still stunned.  The more I think about it, the more I realize my life would surely not be the same had I not made the acquaintance of Mr. Steven Shaw.  He was a "pebble makes ripples in the pond" sort of fellow.  One idea at the hub, the reverberations of which spread outward.  Connecting people was the glorious side effect.  Connect the dots and you have the ferris wheel we've all been lucky enough to ride together.  eGullet is an awe inspiring community, and should stand as a model for others trying to do the same.  I'm certain Steven and Jason had no idea of the lasting effect or number of friendships, both virtual and in person that they would have a hand in when this idea was just germinating.  Thanks to both of them for enriching my life in more ways than I can count.

[andiesenji]

It's been difficult for me to get my head around the fact of his untimely death.  When I first joined eG in 2004 - he and Gifted Gourmet were the first to welcome me to the fold and both encouraged me to expand on some of the topics in which I posted. 

Over the years he also wrote me private messages to tell me to ignore the posts of people who criticized the content of my posts because the information did not conform to their ideas. 

He was very kind and very supportive.  A true "gentleman" in every sense of the word.

[abooja]

Only yesterday, I learned of the tragic passing of Steven Shaw.  He had been kind enough to add me to his list of LinkedIn connections, where I happened upon the terrible news.  I am still quite upset by this, as all of you are.  I did not know the man personally, but he was always amiable and impressed me greatly with what he helped create here in eGullet.  I will never forget hearing him interviewed on Food Talk on WOR radio in New York, and reporting back excitedly to the group. Or that time I advised him to boil water in his microwave, then use the oven as a proofing receptacle to avoid having roaches invade his dough, as silly as that recollection may be.  I felt a kinship with this man, who was my own age, and a fellow New Yorker, even though we were worlds apart in terms of accomplishment.  I would like to extend my condolences to his wife and child, and everyone who ever had the pleasure of his friendship.  He will be greatly missed.

[hummingbirdkiss]

I have been away so long...was slowly coming back to "life" myself ..., was notified of this sad news. I am just so sorry to hear it. I know this is very late but felt the need to express how sad I am, at this new for me news.

Edited August 2, 2014 by hummingbirdkiss (log)

[ChefCrash]

Damn I don't know what rock I've been under! Very sad.

[CaliPoutine]

Today would have been Steve's birthday.  Happy Heavenly Birthday Steve.  We miss you and your fish pants.