Owner of the Grit in Athens dies
November 9, 2007 at 6:11 pm by Debbie Michaud in NewsTed Hafer, owner of Athens’ wildly popular vegetarian restaurant the Grit, was found dead on the side of the road in downtown Athens this morning. Here’s the report from the Athens Banner-Herald:
Athens-Clarke police have identified the man who plunged from the top of the College Avenue Parking Deck as 42-year-old Ted Hafer.
Hafer’s body was discovered on a sidewalk on East Washington Street at about 10:40 this morning. Hafer was the owner of The Grit restaurant on Prince Avenue.
Police have ruled out foul play in the fall, though police would not say this afternoon whether authorities believe Hafer’s death was an accident or suicide.
Read the entire story here. (Please try to ignore the horribly insensitive headline “Man who plunged from parking deck identified as Grit owner.â€)
The Grit has been an Athens staple for more than 20 years, famous for its “Golden Bowl,†a heaping bowl of tofu and veggies over brown rice smothered in gravy, and for its rock ‘n’ roll clientèle. Hafer co-authored the restaurant’s cookbook, The Grit Cookbook (Hill Street Press, 2001), with wife Jessica Greene, and it includes recipes for such delights as black-bean chili, Grit yeast gravy and Grit-style tofu. This is a sad, sad day for Athens vegetarians and nonvegetarians alike, as Hafer’s restaurant is loved by both. We’re sure he will be missed.
November 9th, 2007 at 8:41 pm
News of Ted’s death traveled quickly throughout the country today after someone in Athens put the news on the wire (someone in California told my friend in Athens, who called me in Atlanta). The Athens community, and Athenians-at-large, and they’re everywhere, will be grieving this loss for a long time. We may never understand why the life of such a young and talented husband, father, musician, and restaurateur ended in such macabre tragedy. I am confident that the town of Athens will find a suitable way to honor Ted’s life in the coming days, weeks and months. This is a terribly, terribly sad story. If this was suicide, it pains me more that his suffering was so unbearable that he would rather die. Do we ever really know what people are going through? Nothing makes the world seem smaller than depression, and I wonder if Ted was struggling still from the accident back in late summer. Was he on pain meds? Or was this story just more personal that. Probably. And now we must respect the shocked family he left behind. If this was suicide, was he angry at them, or did he think he would be sparing them something which he felt was awful? Suicide is very much about anger. But about what is too murky. No one can know. My heart breaks for Ted, for his wife Jessica, and their two sons. For Athens. For all who struggle with depression or know a loved-one whose condition will worsen as the days get shorter and darker, and fall into fall and winter. If you can, don’t just donate cans of food for the season. Remember to give to those in emotional need, too. Start with yourself and your family, and the rest will follow.
p.s. One of the charms of The Grit–and there are many, and not all about food–is that even die-hard carnivores will eat the vegetarian and vegan fare, because it’s THAT good.
November 10th, 2007 at 12:06 am
I just heard about this from a friend in Athens. I knew him only slightly – but absolutely loved The Grit. Anyone that puts their heart and soul into something so amazing is truly blessed. It saddens me to think of the family he leaves behind and the children that will never know their dad. Whether it was suicide or not the official word is not out.
I am not a vegetarian but The Grit is an Athens institution all its own and I ate there frequently because it was so damned good. Nothing in Atlanta comes close. The golden bowl was a staple of my diet when I lived there not to mention the amazing key lime pie and those cheese quesadillas.
Perhaps a way to help the family is to purchase the cookbook he and Jessica published. You can even purchase it online: http://www.hillstreetpress.com/Grit.html
November 10th, 2007 at 8:15 am
Ted had a daughter and a son.
He had been ill or injured in one way or another for over a year. As the article in the Banner-Herald noted, he was struck by a car on Prince Avenue in front of the local Vegetarian Co-Op in late summer. Last spring he tore his biceps muscle while playing with his children. Before that I believe he had a painful back injury and he was struggling with some difficult and painful digestive issues that made it nearly impossible for him to eat and enjoy food.
I spoke with one of his close friends yesterday who said that he was taking some medications from he was hit by the car and that they may have been affecting his moods.
These are some of the reasons Ted may have been despondent. I am sure that people who knew him better than I did may be able to shed some more light if they choose to. We’re all trying to make some sense of this.
If you pray, pray for his family.
November 10th, 2007 at 11:42 am
The speed with which the news of Ted Hafer’s demise spread is a testament to how well liked he was by everyone who knew him (and those who barely knew him, or knew him only because of the Grit). While I haven’t seen Ted in several years, I worked at the Grit for two years in the late 90s and I lived across the street from him prior to that. He had a quick sense of humor that made the grueling brunch shifts go by faster. I recall fondly that during the last hour of brunch he would put on Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison” album to boost our spirits. Ted had a beautiful family, home and business…but clearly something wasn’t right. This whole thing makes little sense to me.
November 10th, 2007 at 11:42 pm
I too worked at the grit from about 1998 to 2000. In that time I grew to love and respect Ted immensely. I learned about this from my friend in Athens yesterday morning, soon after his body was found. I’ve been a bit despondent myself since hearing the news. My heart’s broken for his family and his suffering and I hope that he is in a better place now.
November 11th, 2007 at 9:52 pm
thanks so much for this article. pointing out how badly the local paper has covered this has become a fixation of mine, and it’s nice to see someone else do it too. if anyone wants an update on the restaurant, i’ll only tell you what i know. things at the grit have been tough of course, but everyone’s support as friends and patrons (when we sadly but resolutely opened back up today) has been outstanding. the crew at the grit are like a second family, and we’ve spent the last few days in each other’s company even more so than usual to stay strong. however, our hearts are broken for jessica and the kids.
adam h, grit cook.