A place to share memory with you
My name is Naomi Horii; I was Owen Lightly's last partner in life and in work. Butter on the Endive was a blog as its first incarnation, and in its second, Owen and I developed a food events and catering company. We were planning its third incarnation: Butter on the Endive would grow to be an umbrella for a brick and mortar restaurant, and many more projects. When Owen was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer at the age of 31, all efforts to curate life up until that point seemed lost, and living strictly to get through each day was paramount. Butter on the Endive, as a business, ended, as all operations and future planning ceased. After Owen passed away, I needed to find a way to honour the efforts he put into the art of living.
I put together this site in order to share the projects that grew out of a desire to honour who he was through the gifts that Owen has left us: his music, and his love for cooking. Going through the kind of loss that feels like everything he and I built together was taken away does a number on a heart. Not a day goes by without Owen in the forefront of my mind, and so channelling my efforts here to share with you helps me heal. Even though his absence is heavy, I sincerely hope that by putting on the vinyl and cooking some of his recipes, you too can connect with the lightness of his presence and continue to be inspired by Owen Lightly into the future. May he know that he is loved.