Nathan Spiro, 19, of Bedford, died on May 1 following the April 30 crash and just two weeks before his 20th birthday.
The son of Marc and Debbie Spiro, of Bedford, Nathan was an accomplished, aspiring chef whose personality, charm and love of food can be seen in his casting tape for the Food Network "Teen Chopped" show.
In the tape, Nathan talks about his love of food and how he knew that food was his life at age 11. He dropped out of school early so he could devote his time to honing his skills by apprenticing and then working at local restaurants including The Inn at Pound Ridge. Le Marais, in New York City, the Bedford Post, and the Tarry Lodge just to name a few.
His signature dish was Fettuccine Alfredo, which he perfected while cooking at home.
He attended the French Culinary Institute, now known as ICC in SoHo in 2017.
"We will always cherish the memory of his shofar blowing at Neilah on Yom Kippur, his slow easy smile, his clever mind, and his ability to charm everyone around him," said family friend Susan Groner. "Nathan had a unique mission, he was creative, refused to be put in a box. He lived fully and did it the Nathan way."
Nathan was a student at Chabad Hebrew School, had his Bar Mitzvah at Chabad and later volunteered his time to assist in Hebrew School.
He is also survived by his brother Perry Spiro, a Chabad Youth Leadership Award recipient.
Nathan was laid to rest at a graveside service at New Montefiore Cemetery in Farmingdale, on May 3.
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