Willie Pelletier, 54, Was Acclaimed Vineyard Chef

Willie Pelletier, a gregarious, generous and loving man, died Dec. 10 at home on Seki, the boat he shared with his wife, Judy, in San Diego, Calif. He was 54.

Willie always lived his life in full color and full humor -- cherishing the vivid and the subtle with equal appreciation. He willingly shared his passion and perspectives with friends and strangers alike. His life was full, his talents diverse, and his passions drove his choices.

Like so many other young people, Willie (then Billy) came to the Vineyard in the late 1960s. But unlike many at that time, he and his brothers, Marc and Jean-Paul, stayed for a long while and created legends and legacies. Foremost among those legacies are some of the core recipes at the Black Dog Bakery, for which Willie and his brother, Jean-Paul, were the first official bakers; among their favorite creations were the honey white and the chewie. Over the years he built a stellar reputation as a chef in many Vineyard restaurants, as well as in suburban Boston, St. John USVI and San Diego. His sauces, as well as his tableside manner, are legendary among his customers.

Over the decades, Willie's culinary creativity was recognized in several local and professional publications. His recipe for chicken picante won him acclaim in Bon Appetit magazine. As chef and owner of Tioli's Restaurant in San Diego along with his wife, they repeatedly won local awards for best dinner and best desserts. For anyone who ever worked with or for him, he left a distinct impression -- generated by his quick wit, undeniable affability and uncanny ability to tease people to their limits.

Other contributions to the Vineyard were a result of the landscaping business he shared with Robin Hyde and various carpentry jobs with Louis Stix. Each of Willie's jobs demonstrated his eye for blending the wild with the not-so-wild all over the Vineyard. His sense of symmetry in presentation was also legendary and extended from landscaping to carpentry to cooking.

His legacy was not limited to the Vineyard. He was a road manager for many leading rock and blues bands in the 1970s, including Maria Muldaur, Paul Butterfield, Jackson Browne and the Grateful Dead.

And in between all these layers of life, he sanded the boat, collected salt and pepper shakers, weeded gardens, mowed lawns, mentored employees, kibitzed with friends and strangers, got in a round of golf and preserved the romance in every aspect of his life.

He is survived by his wife, Judy Issokson of San Diego, Calif.; his daughter, Chelsea Pelletier of Burbank, Calif.; his mother, Loretta Pelletier of Rockville, Md.; his mother in law, Helen Issokson of Vineyard Haven; his brother, Marc Pelletier of Charlestown; his brother, Jean-Paul Pelletier of Orlando, Fla.; his sister, Lisa Walsh of Silver Spring, Md.; his sister, Liane Pelletier of Anchorage, Alas.; and his nephew, Grayson Pelletier of Edgartown.

All are welcome to participate in celebrating Willie's Vineyard life on March 5 at the Martha's Vineyard Hebrew Center at 2 p.m.

Donations in his memory may be made to the Humane Society of your choice or the American Liver Foundation.