Staten Island caterer and lifelong resident dies at 50

"Christopher T. Hewitt, a lifelong Staten Islander who fed, cared for, and quietly held up his community through decades in the food business, died suddenly at his home in Sunnyside. He was 50. Hewitt's path into food began in the produce department of the old A&P in New Dorp, where he worked as a teenager. He went on to spend years on the East Shore at Delfini's and Top Tomato, gaining the hands-on experience that shaped his career, particularly at Delfini's. In the early 2000s, he owned The Misty Lounge, a Grant City neighborhood bar he ran with friends."

"He joined A&S Catering in Bulls Head about a decade ago and became its steady center, eventually becoming an owner. Colleagues said he wasn't just an employee or proprietor-he was the backbone. He knew every recipe, every customer, every rhythm of the place. Through the upheaval of COVID-19, Hewitt remained the constant: the teacher, the standard-setter, the one from whom everyone learned."

""He wasn't just the guy behind the counter. He was the reason people walked through the door," said longtime friend and former A&S owner Jimmy Ramovic. "Half the time, they came in for the conversation first and the sandwich second. He knew everything, and even when he disagreed with you, he'd tell you straight but never in a way that made you feel small." Ramovic said the shop became a kind of refuge. "People came in with their problems. Some didn't have anyone else to talk to, and he became that person, the one who listened, who related, who always had something to say back. It was a place where you could exhale.""

Christopher T. Hewitt spent his life in Staten Island food service, beginning in the produce department of the old A&P and working at Delfini's and Top Tomato. He owned The Misty Lounge in the early 2000s and later joined A&S Catering in Bulls Head, becoming an owner and the operation's steady center. He knew recipes, customers, and rhythms of the shop and served as a teacher and standard-setter through COVID-19. Hewitt provided conversation, refuge, and quiet financial help to patrons, and donated widely to school raffles, basket drives, and community events. He died suddenly at home in Sunnyside at 50.

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