In December that year, disaster struck. Sonia was taking their dog to the vet (the gorgeous Olivier) when she was involved in a terrible accident. The other driver was young, uninsured and he died on the spot. As did the dog. Sonia was in a coma for several weeks. The weather turned nasty, with a lot of snow, which made it very difficult for Tony to visit Sonia in hospital. They have two sons, who had to be picked up from school. Poor Tony would leave whoever was at the cafe in charge and go to the school to get the boys.
Sonia recovered, but she was left mildly brain damaged, and couldn't work at the restaurant as actively as she did before the accident. Things started slowing down. They would be open during the day, but couldn't have dinners on a regular basis. There were some special evenings when they served moules & frites. Tony and Sonia were always incredibly hospitable.
They finally sold out in 2011 and moved away. Tony had been a truck driver with a passion for food and during his years as a chef, he just learned as he went along. He made the most amazing desserts, delicious and beautifully presented. [The images of desserts are from the googles, but they look exactly like Tony's.]
We don't see them very often these days, but when we do, it's always a great pleasure!
Today we talked about them and really hope to see them again soon.
