Those friends and the greater community will remember Nico Steinmann, who died last February, in a very special way.
For more than two decades, Nico Steinmann was a presence at The Arc Mercer, particularly in the advocacy group's Touch of Taste program.
She worked hard and took great pride in what she did. The people around her became more than staff members and co-workers. They were her friends.
Those friends and the greater community will remember Nico Steinmann, who died last February, in a very special way.
The Touch of Taste program, the only catering program in the county that equips people with development disabilities with food preparation and other skills, now is known as the Nico Steinmann Food Service Training Center.
In addition, the dozens of donations made in her memory since she died have helped the program grow, and to purchase new kitchen equipment.
"We decided we were going to take those resources and many more and invest it in this program and make sure Nicky's legacy was part of what we do and why," said Arc Executive Director Steven Cook.
Touch of Taste participants learn dishwashing, busing, serving and sanitation skills, in addition to creating daily menus featuring such delicacies as chicken marsala, beef burgundy and cranberry apple pork.
The program turns out about 200 meals a day, which Meals on Wheels of Trenton/Ewing distributes to homebound clients. These include the elderly, people who are physically or emotionally unable to prepare meals or maintain proper nutrition, or the chronically ill.
Soon there will be something new on Touch of Taste's plate: a cafe where people can gather for lunch and where employees will have the chance to interact more fully with the community.
Family members, friends and elected officials came together earlier this month to celebrate Nico Steinmann's life.
One after another, they spoke of Nico's joy in cooking and baking, of her sweet nature and her bubbly personality. For his part, Bert Steinmann, the mayor of Ewing and Nico's father, recalled how much The Arc has meant to his family, and how enormous a role it played in his daughter's life.
It's fitting, then, that the organization will continue to remember her with a "Nico Steinmann Day" each November. The event will feature a luncheon to bring county officials up to date on new ARC initiatives, and to look back at the contributions of a particularly outgoing and brave woman who died way too soon.
We didn't know Nico Steinmann, but from all indications, she'd be tickled that her life's work will carry on in such a meaningful way.