Dear Friends,
Lou “The Glue” Marcelli died at 3:00 this morning. He was 85 years old.
Many of you may remember Lou from the first Hidden Kitchens story. Lou was the “Commodore” of the Dolphin Club, one of the oldest swimming and rowing clubs on the West Coast, open since 1877. Lou lived at the club and cooked nightly for the old timers, the bachelors, for those without a family to go home to. His calamari was legendary.
Every day he would put on his bikini trunks, bathing cap and goggles and plunge into the cold waters of the bay. “The main thing is to look it in the eye and go,” Lou told us as we shivered on the shore and took our first swim with him. “You don’t have to swim to Alcatraz, just go.”
Lou’s words have become one of the sayings we repeat to each other anytime we are nervous or afraid or about to take a big plunge. “Just look it in the eye and go.”
Swim in peace, Lou. We thank you for your story, for your cooking and your advice.
Here is Lou if you want to listen.
With love,
Davia & Nikki
