Matthew D. Popkin

Remembering Matthew is not difficult

I mentioned Matthew last Saturday evening when we were having dinner at the Capital Grill in Burlington Mass
with my grandson Ty ........Until Ty was 15 he would never eat salad .........so I suggested that he come to dinner with us to Matthews.......When he saw Matthew make caesar salad for Marge and I , he asked Matthew the origin of caesar salad ....Matthew spent 10 minutes giving Ty a blow by blow description of how the Mexicans , not the Italians , created the 1st caesar salad .... Ty tasted my salad in front of Matthew , then had Matthew make him , not one , but two salads which he inhaled . Ty is now 6'2" , 180 lbs and has become a great fan of Matthew Popkin ..........Matthew was a terrific man , a good man , and he has become legendary throughout the greater Hartford area

Jim Vinick ....Longmeadow Mass.

I am so very sorry to learn about Matthew's passing. I knew him from Florida, before high school days. Regrettably, I lost track of him over the years. I am sorry I did. Matthew was probably one of the funniest and most fun individuals I have known. He, a few other friends, and I got into various youthful misadventures when we were younger mostly my fault by being the catalyst. Matthew could always find humor in even the unusual situations we sometimes found ourselves in - his humor was always one of the highlights of those misadventures. He always made us laugh. I can still hear his laugh and visualize his grinning, laughing smile a smile that was contagious. He had a sensitive, good soul. Sincerest of condolences for his loved ones, friends and family.

I was so sad to recently learn of Matthews passing. I have known Matthew for many years and vividly remember going to the building with him that would eventually become "Matthews". His enthusiasm , joy and creativity in making his restaurant come alive was a wonderful experience to be a part of. Matthew always did things with his own "flair" and was a kind, considerate and wonderful human being who will be missed by so many. My thoughts and prayers are with his family.

I am shocked and saddened to hear of Matthews passing. He was always a man who followed his passions and shared his culinary gifts with his patrons. We will miss you Matthew.

Our thoughts and prayers to all of Mathew's friends and family. We celebrated numerous occasions at the restaurant and could always count on Mathew's friendly smile and warm welcome. He always remembered our names. He will be missed. ---the Shaw Family

We were thrilled when Matthew's opened as the need was great for another gourmet restaurant in Farmington. We became frequent diners, always enjoying the unique menu, friendly service, seasonal outdoor dining and eclectic events.I also planned a successful fundraiser with Matthew. We will always remember our table side ceasar salad prepared by Matthew and chatting with him as he made the rounds making sure all were having a good time. We are shocked and saddened to hear of Matthew's passing and extend our deepest sympathy to family, friends and staff. With sincere condolences, Elaine Werner & Frederick Dahl

Our hearts go out to all who were close to Matthew. We truly enjoyed our dining experiences with him--he never failed to come over and greet us and just recently told us how very much he loved meeting new people and old friends.

"There are things that we don't want to happen but have to accept, things that we don't want to know but have to learn, and people we can't live without but have to let go." - Author Unknown

I speak for many when I say that we will do anything in our power to keep your legacy alive! You will be missed but not forgotten.

I was so saddened to hear the news of Matthews passing. He was an amazing man who always had a smile on his face and was so proud of his restaurant and always made all his customers feel like family. I will truly miss his kind, welcoming spirit everytime I saw him. My deepest sympathies to Matthews family and friends. My thoughts and prayers are with you during this difficult time.

"My husband, Tony and I enjoyed many a Sunday brunch on the veranda of Matthew's restaurant. Please accept my sincere sympathy on hearing of his death. Janet Spasiano (Unionville, Ct)

We will miss his wonderful laugh, smile and high energy personality. We enjoyed his table side Ceasar salad and great conversation! RIP Matthew.

Alicia & Tom Bakunis

Marge and I are shocked to learn of Matthews' death ..........From the time that I discovered his wonderful restaurant 4 years ago and this terrific person, Matthew, we couldn't wait until our next visit. His caesar salad could outdo any caesar salad anywhere in the world and his humor added a little extra flavor .......After many tries in other places, he finally grabbed the brass ring with "Matthew's" .

I will miss my conversations with him about business in general and the restaurant business in particular .......He was always looking to reach the next plateau in his profession .....and he was proud of what he had created from scratch.
Feeding people is a noble deed and Matthew did it well , because he was humble.

I will miss my friend Matthew for many reasons , but most of all because he was a mensch.

Jim Vinick
Treasurer
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
Springfield, Mass.

We were shocked and saddened when we learned of Matthew's passing. I agree with the Davenports, he would always say the Nalleys are here. He was always smiling. Our prayers go out to his family and friends. I drive by the restaurant daily and it's painful. We were to have dinner there this Saturday and enjoy his Mardi Gras celebration next week. You are missed by so many.

Matthew was a very special person and loved by so many people, including us.
We have been going to Matthews for years to celebrate or just to enjoy a wonderful dinner. Every time we walked into the restaurant, Matthew always greeted us "the Davenports are here", followed by a warm hug. It was a joy to dine at Matthews , the food and service was always perfect. Seeing him with his staff & customers was a joy, as one could see and feel the love and care that he gave to us all, and it was returned to him as well.

His restaurant "Matthew's", was one of a kind, just like Matthew.

Our deepest sympathy to his beloved family and friends.

Matthew , we will miss you, but you will always be in our hearts.
"The Davenports"

We have lost a great man. Matthew had a way to make you feel like he was entertaining you in his home. We admired how he loved and mentored and watched over his staff as if they were his children. He was gifted in his ability to keep private what should be and share stories that should be. Kind words, hugs and greetings were the norm! The Popkin family as well as the Matthew's family will never be the same..... We will all be better for having been blessed in knowing him. Here on earth it feels like everything good is missing since he left, there's an emptiness and I can hear him singing in the angel's choir... Our lives have been enriched by our dear friend Matthew!

We are still stunned and saddened by the sudden passing of our friend Matthew. We will miss him dearly.

We loved him.

Luke and Taylor Stone

Matthew and I have been best of friends for the many years now. We had a group of friends that came to our house for the Super Bowl (it didn't have to be the super bowl either, let's just get together) and we had a great time. That was the norm with Matthew he was the life of the party and the greatest guy in the room for everyone in his restaurant, his home, my house.... What a great man.

I can and want to write about the best human being I have ever known. People told me his was cocky and I told them they were wrong and guess who was crying the most on Wednesday night when I had to call.

He was honest, trustworthy, and I can just say "he was great man". He would say he did this wrong or that but he just kept trying to help everyone close to him. He texted my son going back to school this winter what he should do that was Matthew.

As for his family, the one thing I can say he glowed. He didn't miss a week of telling me that he has the greatest/ smartest/ most successful sisters in the world. The best lawyers in Florida they are so smart and successful - you saw the glee in his eye.

His mother and father were the best anyone could ever have. Martin Marietta was what he talked about his father being the the greatest developer of patents in history of man I think he said he developed millions maybe billions - Matthew was so proud of of his Dad. He loved his mom so much, also, he told me he was put in a position to protect his sister's honor and hit a kid - his mother received a call and the mother of the kid said Matthew's hit caused tooth damage and wanted them to pay for some dental work - well Matthew's Mom said if your son wasn't such jerk - Matthew would not have hit him - and no we will not pay for it and if he does it again Matthew will again protect his sister again.

If you didn't know Matthew, I am sorry, there aren't many in the world like him and I have known many, but not like Matthew "Hey buddy, John, what you doing - coming down to see me tonight". I miss it, it has only been a few days but he was the man.

I am going to close with how my family has being crying for days - we don't get to see Matthew playing pool in our basement, going down for a Caesar Salad, Banana Foster, or anything... Taylor can't believe he can't play pool any more with Matthew...Luke can't believe not debating him anymore...and Susan and I can't believe we won't see him again. Matthew you were the "man" we didn't always agree, but we both knew how life should be and live it to the fullest. You were the best and I will never forget you nor my family.

My deepest sympathy to Mona and the rest of Matthew's family. I was very sad to hear of his passing; especially since I was looking forward to catching up with Matthew at our high school reunion later this year.

Mona, you may or may not remember me. We worked together in the early 80s with Cathy Falk. I can't imagine what you are going through, but please believe that you are in my heart and prayers.

As we pulled into Mathews restaurant last night we were surprised to see it dark. We learned of Mathew's passing this morning and are so saddened by the news . Our sincere sympathies to Mathew's family , friends and staff.
We will miss him dearly.

Sending my deepest sympathies to Matthew's family, extended family and friends. His restaurant has been a favorite of mine since it opened. he will be missed.

To Matthew's family - my deepest sympathies for your loss. Matthew was a true Southern Gentleman and he always made you feel right at home in his restaurant. Words can't express his hospitality during our time of need. He made my mom's memorial a very memorable experience. Matthew, we will miss you dearly. May you rest in peace and be the Angel you were always meant to be. Say hello to my mom. Sincerely, Sandy Kravontka (Bobbi's sister).

I send my deepest sympathy to the Popkin family. He will be missed at Matthew's Restaurant.

Richard W. Hines, Avon, Ct.

Matthew was a wonderful spirit and a man we feel bleesed to have had in our lives. We will cherish all the memories and miss him. The Hadd's...David, Nancy, and Sarah.

What a tragic passing and a loss to Unionville. Matthew always had a smile on his face and welcomed everyone. He made a restaurant of high caliber sucessful in a way most others could not. He will be missed. RIP. Jean and Michael Festa

I'm saddened to hear the news of Matthew's passing. We have enjoyed many dinners at his restaurant, and gotten to know him a little. He, and his attention to the food, service and clientele will be greatly missed! He was one of a kind. condolences to his family and friends.

Matthew was an old school restaurateur, his love for great food and hospitality was as important to him as his love for laughter and friends. Matthew knew how to cut through all the barriers and reach you with warmth and brevity. I worked with Matthew as the first executive chef at his restaurant in Unionville. It was a joy to build it with him and experience his friendship. He was always there for me with advice, encouragement and love.
God Bless you Matthew, you left the world better than the way you found it and the void you left is permanent.

Matthew was a truly remarkable man. He always had a smile on his face and a kind word for everyone. His restaurant in Unionville was our favorite and we are so saddened by his passing. Our hearts go out to his family.
Ward and Barbara Cusati

I am shocked. Matthew will be missed. He was a unique individual. We made Matthews our favorite local restaurant and spent many Saturday nights there. My thoughts and prayers go out to his related family and his work family..thinking of you Kelly, Greg, Ally, Don , Justin. So sorry for your loss. Be peaceful Matthew. You were loved and we have all been blessed to have known you.

It was so sad to read the news about Matthew this morning. My family and I had eaten at his restaurant many times over the past few years. He was an extremely skilled restauranter. He always made you feel so comfortable and welcome. He made the best Caesar salad I have ever had and entertained us with his skills pouring coffee drinks and preparing crepes suzette or bananas foster. He will be greatly missed. My heart goes out to his family and friends during this difficult time.

I will truly miss Matthew and his sense of humor, southern hospitality, kindness and his assurance that our visit at Matthew's was comfortable and enjoyable. Matthew will be truly missed. Rest in Peace!

We will truly miss Matthew and his wonderful story about the origins of his famous Ceasar salad. We have been loyal customers since the opening of his terrific restaurant and we are so sad to hear about his unexpected passing. Matthew's is our favorite local restaurant and we will miss his wonderful enthusiasm. Our deepest sympathies to his family. Dennis Replogle and Maureen Hesney

Matthew introduced New Orleans cuisine to the Hartford area. His culinary skills were second to none. I am sad to hear of his passing. Matthews restaurant was cutting edge.

So sad to hear....We have enjoyed so many dinners in the dining room, drinks on the patio, and parties in the back room at Matthews Restauarant. Each time, Matthew would stop at our table and say hello. He was always enthusiastic and attentive, and we will miss him. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his loved ones during this difficult time. The Weimann-Horniks