Friends, family celebrate Matt Haley's life

Ronnie Burkle, a chef who worked for Matt Haley at his NorthEast Kitchen restaurant in Ocean View, says he learned a great lesson from his late boss that will stay with him forever.

Good was never good enough for Haley. He thought everyone around him should always strive higher.

"He used to say, 'Good is great's worst enemy,'" said Burkle, who appeared on a video shown Sunday afternoon at the service celebrating the life of Haley.

The 53-year-old Delaware restaurant owner died Aug. 20 of injuries he suffered after a motorcycle accident in India.

"He lived life like a rock star," said Haley's friend "Bulldog," a deejay and the host of "The Rude Awakening Show," a Irie Radio morning program on Ocean 98-1 FM.

"And, unfortunately, he died like a rock star."

Still, more laughs than tears punctuated the nearly two-hour memorial service for the Sussex County restaurateur at the Freeman Stage at Bayside near Selbyville.

Speakers, including Gov. Jack Markell, and Haley's girlfriend Michelle Freeman, frequently touched upon Haley's drive, courage, humility and "legacy of love."

After a reckless youth got him kicked out of about a dozen schools, Haley spent about four-years in prison on drug charges and then overcame drug and alcohol abuse and redirected his life in his 30s.

Haley's rise in the restaurant industry was so impressive - as was his global humanitarian work in Nepal - he received the 2014 James Beard Humanitarian of the Year Award. It is widely considered one of the most prestigious honors a chef or restaurateur can receive. He is the only Delaware chef/ restaurateur to receive a Beard medal. Haley's stirring speech at the ceremony held in May 2014 in New York City was played at the start of the service.

"I'm a member of the most compassionate, caring industry in the world. There's no other industry that would have been there for me. Everybody shut their door on me when I got out of prison 20 years ago," Haley had said.

About 2,000 people were expected at Haley's service and it seemed close to capacity on the gorgeous fall afternoon that felt more like mid-summer as temperatures inched toward the 80s.

The crowd, handed programs with Haley's grinning face on the cover and bottles of water as they entered, included many local chefs, business owners like Dewey Beach bar owner Alex Pires, Director of the Delaware Economic Development Alan Levin; and a contingency of politicians including Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.); and Lt. Gov. Matt Denn.

Many stayed and mingled after the service. Food trucks were lined up and Sussex County restaurants and chefs, including Grotto Pizza, Sedona in Bethany Beach and Chef Hari Cameron of Rehoboth's a(MUSE.), served food to the crowd. The atmosphere felt more like food festival than memorial, which many noted was what Haley would have wanted.

Haley's personality was captured through videos of his various speeches, family photographs and heartfelt remembrances from his friends and coworkers.

"Life happens for me, not to me," Haley said during one of his last recorded speeches. In August, while "getting lost on back roads in Tuscany," he talked on video about celebrating 24 years of sobriety and how much it meant to him.

At the front of the stage was a rack featuring "the Haley uniform" - nearly a dozen, identical white shirts and several pairs of blue jeans hung on hangers. As a tribute to Haley, several local musicians, including former Bad Company member Paul Cullen, donned "the Haley uniform," and played his favorite song, "Sympathy for the Devil."

Even though Haley was a Maryland native, he considered Delaware his home. The Rehoboth Beach resident had been a part of the restaurant community for about 15 years.

"He loved the state of Delaware," said Haley's brother Tommy. "He loved this community. This is a beautiful day and my brother is very blessed."

Bulldog, the Ocean City deejay, also talked about Haley's "very diverse life," as well as his love of the state. "He traveled far and wide. He left his mark. But there was one place he came back to and that was Delaware."

Gov. Markell called Haley "a model for what is possible for those who struggle to find their way." The governor said Haley was one of the state's most admired citizens as well as being "a poster child for the global restaurant industry.
Markell presented the Order of the First State, the highest honor for meritorious service granted by the governor, posthumously to Haley. The honor was given to Haley's mother, Georgianna.

Haley's business partner Scott Kammerer shared humorous memories of Haley. He said Haley once told him he had punched about 100 people in his life, didn't like excuses, was always blunt with his opinions, and he liked to use profanity - a lot. "He was no Easter Bunny," Kammerer said. "He was a deep, complex man."

Yet, Haley was by Kammerer's side when addiction took Kammerer's brother's life, and Haley helped Kammerer with his own struggles. "He loved me before I loved myself."

Kammerer said one of Haley's favorite sayings, before asking a favor, was "Are you in or are you out?"

"Rest in peace, Matt Haley. We are all in," Kammerer said.

Contact Patricia Talorico at (302) 324-2861 or ptalorico@delawareonline.com. Read her culinary blog Second Helpings at www.delawareonline.com/blog/secondhelpings and follow her on Twitter @pattytalorico