Goodbye to Dolores Kostelni, a friend and fellow food lover
Photo courtesy of the Kostelni family.
In restaurants, Dolores Kostelni was always somebody else.
Whether she made reservations under the fictitious name of Colette Wakefield, used a credit card stamped with her daughter’s married name, or admonished her husband to not call her “Dolores,” it was done to protect her anonymity as a restaurant reviewer.
On Friday, I learned Dolores is gone.
After a doctor’s appointment in Charlottesville on Tuesday, she decided to take a walk, one of her favorite pastimes. She was struck by a van at the corner of East Rio Road and Putt Putt Place, and died of her injuries on Thursday evening. She was 75.
According to The (Charlottesville) Daily Progress, the van driver, Wayne David Craft of Keene, was charged with failure to yield to a pedestrian.
If anything positive can result from this tragedy, it is that I am finally able to share with readers the real Dolores — the mother, the student, the cookbook author and the woman who reviewed hundreds of restaurants for The Roanoke Times over a 23-year span, agonizing over the accuracy and fairness of each and every article.
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November 16, 2012 - 11:31 AM
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This is awful news and I’m so sorry to hear this. I always enjoyed reading her restaurant reviews and considered them to be very informative and valuable. My thoughts and prayers are with her friends and family.
What an awful thing to happen. Condolences to her family, and sincere regards to all of her friends. Just a terrible thing to learn, even without knowing the lady.
Yet another reminder that life is to be treasured, we never know when the gift will be taken from us.
Rest in peace, Dolores. We traded recipes once via email, and she was so sweet.
I’m so sorry to hear that. Condolences to her family.
What a horrible accident…condolences to the husband and family.
Sincere condolences to her family and friends. I always enjoyed her reviews and appreciated that her passion for food always came through in her writing. Wishing those who know and love her peace.
That was a very nice article today, Lindsey. I will miss her reviews.
I saw her picture on Facebook on Friday. Lovely lady who looked as classy as I’d always imagined her to be.
So very sorry to hear this. What a lovely woman, thank you for sharing her story on the plateup site. Sincere condolences to her family today.
My heartfelt sympathy to the family. Thank you for the nice article on this lovely lady, Lindsey.
Condolences to her family. A friendly, talented lady! I knew her through the Peacock-Harper Culinary History Friends.
She was once a speaker for the group and stayed in touch! She will be missed.
Lindsey, that is a wonderful article you wrote about a woman who seems like someone we all would want to know. I always enjoyed her reviews and am so sorry to hear of this tragedy. My heart goes out to her family.