Jamie Gillis Remembered during Days of the Dead

Jamie Gillis Remembered on the Days of the Dead celebrations

Over the 23 years that Zarela Restaurant has been open, I have set up many Days of the Dead altars: my ex-husband , my father, my mother, my dear friend Robert Palmer, comedian Johnny Carson, actor Paul Newman, El Santo, Lola Beltran but this year the Day of the Dead celebrations have a special meaning for me because the altar will be dedicated to my companion of seven years,  Jamie Gillis, who passed away in February   Why?  Because he asked me to. Jamie loved the tradition and  promised to drop by and see how I had portrayed him.   I admired the way Jamie squeezed every bit of  life  out of every moment he lived and he was determined to experience everything.  I am happy I got to know him at the later not X-rated part of his life. He was a good  bad boy who was intellectually stimulating and mostly brought joy.

To Mexicans, the holiday of Los Dias de los Muertos is neither ghoulish nor morbid. It is a joyous celebration of memory and an opportunity to catch up on those who are dear to you as Jamie  was to me.

Traditional ofrendas (offerings) placed on Los Dias de los Muertos altar often consist of the deceased’s favorite food, any creature comforts the person might be missing in the next life and a picture of the loved one.

This richly visual and lively holiday began hundreds of years ago when many peoples in Mexico celebrated a pre-Hispanic festival in August and September to ask the intervention of departed ones in warding off early frost. Like Halloween, the holiday conveniently migrated through the Christian calendar to coincide with the Catholic feasts of All Saints and All Souls Days at the beginning of November. The spirit of the holiday remained seeped in ancient pagan tradition.

As with all Mexican holidays, food plays an important role, both as an offering to the dead and as sustanance for the living much as turkey and stuffing are for Americans celebrating Thanksgiving.  Many of the traditional dishes are pre-Columbian, including a sweet pumpkin dessert called calabaza en tacha, some form of tamales, and the premier celebratory dish, mole. But the most famous specialty of the day throughout Mexico is of European origin. Modeled after Christian feast-day offering altar breads, Mexicans put an overlay of fantasy and shaped the loaves into different images. The famous pan de muerto (bread of death) comes in the shape of human figures, alligators, lizards, and other animals — but most often skulls and crossbones or teardrops and crosses, gaily decorated with colored sugar crystals.

The menu is still in the development stage because Jamie loved to eat and I’m having trouble deciding what to serve. You won’t be disappointed so mark your calendar.  The festival will go on from October 30-November 7.

Come help us celebrate this intriguing, multi-faceted gentleman  at Zarela Restaurant, 953 Second Avenue (between 50 and 51st Streets, New York City 10022.).  For reservations call 212-644-6740, visit our website at www.zarela.com or go to www.opentable.com.