STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. —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.
A life built in food service
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.
Inside A&S, he became known not only for his food but for the conversations that came with it. “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.”…