Community reflects on Kevin Halligan's influence on Lakes Region dining

TILTON — The death of Kevin Halligan has sent ripples of shock and recollections of cordial relationships through the Lakes Region. Halligan was known for a “larger-than-life” personality and a passion for locally sourced food, which he brought to a number of local dining establishments before moving on to pursue other interests.

Halligan, 43, of Clark Road, died July 6. He was known as a devoted father, attending his children’s sporting events and passing on his joy of living to them and those he met. He made friends around the lake and in sporting activities, from coaching basketball to fishing, while also enjoying drawing and making jewelry.

Halligan began his career in dining by taking over Laconia Village Bakery in 2007. Five years later, he started his own fine-dining restaurant, Local Eatery, in Laconia’s historic train station. He followed that up with the opening of a meat and fish shop in Laconia called Local Provisions, smoking and dry-aging his meats. Then, in January 2018, he opened an Italian restaurant, Osteria Poggio, in Center Harbor.

His passion for food extended to community events such as Laconia’s Pumpkin Festival, where he brought out a carving wagon.

“He wasn’t just doing a job,” Laconia Mayor Andrew Hosmer recalled. “He was so joyous about it. On Thursday or Friday afternoons, when he had a pig roast outside the bakery, he was so excited to talk about what he was doing with the pig roasting box, and where he got his pig, and how he was seasoning it, and how just overjoyed he was when it was ready — and he could share it with people.”

For Hosmer, Halligan’s death felt like a personal loss.

“He cooked for me and my family countless times, but when we would walk into a restaurant and see him, we were welcomed as if we were coming home after a long trip by a family member. He really was genuinely enthused to see people, to hug people, and to talk about his art and his craft.”

Hosmer added that, over the past couple of days, he's thought about Anthony Bourdain’s comment, that when someone cooks for you, they are sharing something about them that is so intimate and happy that they want to share it with others.

“That was Kevin,” he said. “He was always excited to see people show up, always excited to share the food, to talk about how he created it, and that could be whether it was at a private event at someone’s house, whether it was at a local restaurant, or whether it was up in the Smith Orchard when he would do a yearly brunch right around Halloween on a Sunday morning.”

Dan McCarthy, kitchen manager at the Union Diner, was the sous-chef under Halligan at Local Eatery, later becoming one of two head chefs after Reuben Bassett took over the business. He recalled “everything that Kevin tried to create, he believed in 100%. And one of the things that I genuinely admired about him was his dedication to his family and his children, and the way that, in an industry that generally doesn’t allow for that, he found a way to make time for his kids — at least when it was the really important stuff. He found a way to be a chef and still have time to do all the things he wanted to do with his kids, and I admire that about him.”

Bassett, in a post on Facebook, wrote, “Our hearts are heavy hearing the news of the passing of Chef Kevin Halligan.

"While we feel the direct impact of his influence everyday, that impact does not stop with us. His larger than life personality and unmatched passion for amazing, local food are felt far beyond the walls of Local Eatery. So many people in the Lakes Region food scene have been either directly or indirectly inspired by Chef Halligan.”

Rachael Marsh, who now operates Laconia Village Bakery, wrote, “He was the best mentor and boss. I wouldn’t be where I am today without his knowledge and guidance.”

Another former employee, Sunday Gulbicki Dearborn, posted, “A soul lost too soon. Kevin Halligan man the memories from the island days. You were such an amazing chef but I must admit sometimes you drove us waitresses crazy. Lol. I had the honor of reading a beautiful poem at your wedding and I can’t tell you how grateful I was to be a part of it.

"I hope you are at peace now and doing what you do best up there in heaven ... cooking.”

Richard Blaney, who also followed a culinary path, recalled growing up with Halligan, often discussing food. He called him “a good friend” and a hard worker. “He was always that way. From the football field, basketball court, the farm or kitchen,” he wrote.

“Kevin had a taste for everything that life could offer, both good and bad, and he felt every single one of his emotions 100%,” McCarthy said. “There was never a question of, 'Is he happy? Is he not?' It was all there for everyone to see. The enduring legacy of the Local Eatery restaurant that he opened is a testament to that. We had seven years where we built a dedicated following of people who loved coming to us.”