'A piece of my heart will forever be lost': Cincinnatians pay final respects to Jean-Robert

The crowd at a Downtown cathedral was well beyond capacity Monday morning as more than 1,300 people turned out to pay respects to the late chef Jean-Robert de Cavel. The Mass – which took place at the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Peter in Chains – drew friends, family and chefs from across the city and across the nation to mourn de Cavel, who died on Dec. 23 of complications from cancer.

Among the mourners were hundreds of chefs, dressed in their finest chef whites, who had either worked for or been inspired by de Cavel. Along with local food celebrities, mourners included the world-renowned New York chef Daniel Boulud, who first encouraged de Cavel to move to Cincinnati to work at the Maisonette.

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"He has been such an important person, not only for his staff but for his customers," Boulud told The Enquirer. "You see how many people who came, it shows how much he was appreciated ... What he left behind is incredible. Cincinnati loved him and I think he loved Cincinnati back so much."

The day included remembrances from de Cavel's good friend Dennis Spiegel, who equated de Cavel's death with a metaphor many in attendance could understand. "A burner has gone out on Cincinnati's culinary scene and it can never be relit."

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Other remembrances were provided by de Cavel's friend Mark Avondoglio, of New Jersey, and Anne Cappel, a founding board member of the European-American Chamber of Commerce in Cincinnati.

Laeticia de Cavel, daughter of Jean-Robert de Cavel: 'A piece of my heart will forever be lost'

But the most emotional remembrance came from de Cavel's daughter, Laeticia de Cavel, who spoke of the brave face she forced herself to wear after her father received his cancer diagnosis, and how her favorite night of the week was always Monday when de Cavel would be off work and she would sit down with him and her mother, Annette Pfund-de Cavel, for dinner. Their own little "party of three."

"A piece of my heart will forever be lost," she said.

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The Mass was officiated by Rev. Barry Windholtz, who spoke of the changes de Cavel might bring about in the sweet hereafter. "I'm sure the banquet of heaven has improved since his arrival," he said. It ended with a member of the Hamilton County Sheriff's Pipe & Drum Corps' playing "Amazing Grace" on a set of bagpipes as he led Pfund-de Cavel and Laeticia out of the cathedral doors and onto West Eighth Street.

Chefs remember, honor de Cavel

After the Mass, Jeremy Lieb, who worked for de Cavel for five years, said the chef is always on his mind at Sacred Beast, the restaurant he now owns with his wife, Bridget. "I walk in and smell meat searing or ... sauces being made or pans clanking and I'm always thinking about him," he said. "It's one of those things. He's always with you."

"Jean-Robert was an amazing mentor and really gave me direction in my life when I was very young," said Bridget Lieb, who also worked for de Cavel. "(He) made me feel very special and included in this amazing culinary world."

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Before the day was over, a group of at least a hundred or so chefs posed in front of the cathedral for a photo. Many of them told The Enquirer they were seeing each other for the first time in years.

It's a moment that chef Stephen Williams, who worked for de Cavel before opening his own restaurant, believes Cavel would have appreciated. Williams said: "Chef would have been happy that he brought so many of us back together."

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati pays final respects to chef Jean-Robert de Cavel