'An incredible father': Taunton restaurant owner remembered as great chef, family man
TAUNTON — In his short time in business in Taunton, Eddie Odney, owner and chef at Acadia Seafood & Bar, earned a reputation as a determined businessman and passionate chef.
Eddie’s wife, Kinga Lulis-Odney, says while he worked tirelessly to renovate and establish the School Street restaurant, he was first a family man and a loving, attentive father to their 2-year-old son Jordan.
“He was a great person, a great chef, a restaurant owner, but I want people to know Eddie was an incredible father,” Kinga said. “He loved our son. He was a wonderful father, all the way to the end… and a great husband.”
Even after a long day, or more recently, while undergoing cancer treatments, Kinga says, “he would come home and take care of us. He was the one who was sick, but he was always more worried about what we needed, what he could do for us.”
Difficult diagnosis
Odney was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin T-Cell Lymphoma in fall of 2020, and after more than a year of treatment and hospital stays, he died earlier this month, on Sunday, Feb. 6 at Dana Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center in Boston. He was 43.
After a period of remission, Eddie’s cancer came back in November of 2021, leading to a prolonged hospitalization lasting through his final days.
During those three months in the hospital, Kinga and Jordan visited every hour of every day they were able, and Eddie spent most that time doting on his son, savoring every minute.
“He just played with Jordan all the time, whatever he could do,” Kinga said. “If he couldn’t get out of bed, he would read to Jordan or they would play with his toys. We were there every single day, as much time as we could be there. He was already so sick, but he just wanted to be the best dad and husband possible while he could.
“He was so strong and always very optimistic, but his body just couldn’t take it anymore.”
Striking out on his own
Odney, who was born in Haiti, grew up in Boston and was a former Boston police officer. He opened Acadia Seafood & Bar in December 2019, not long after Jordan was born.
“He wanted to own a business. He looked all around and then found a place in Taunton. He liked the town and the downtown area and thought it would be the right spot for him.”
The eventual location at 15 School St. required a full renovation, from the bones out.
“There was nothing there, just nothing. No floors, no walls… nothing. We worked on it together.”
Odney tackled most of the work on his own, hiring a contractor here and there for this or that, and what he didn’t know he learned in a hurry.
“He was extremely handy. If he didn’t know how to do something he would figure it out,” Kinga said.
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The restaurant specialized in Cajun-style seafood dishes, in a setting designed and built by the chef/owner.
“He could cook anything,” Kinga said, and just like the restaurant renovations, and as a self-taught chef, “if he didn’t know how to cook it, or he wanted to try something new, he learned or figured it out. That’s just how he was.”
The future of Acadia Seafood
Soon after the initial diagnosis, Odney closed the restaurant, which has remained closed since.
“I won’t be able to reopen it. I have to focus on raising my son right now,” Kinga said. “There is quite a bit of interest, but it’s just too soon. I haven’t made a decision on the future of Acadia.”
Before his passing, Eddie and Kinga decided it best she focus on Jordan.
“He’s just like Eddie, his mannerisms, his faces,” Kinga said.
The restaurant is as Eddie left it upon announcing a “temporary closure” in late October of 2020, though its future is uncertain.
A GoFundMe page in Eddie Odney’s name, with funds to benefit his family, has raised more than $20,000 to date. To donate, visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-eddie-in-the-fight-for-his-life.
This article originally appeared on The Taunton Daily Gazette: Taunton Eddie Odney: Owner of Acadia Seafood restaurant dies of cancer
