Honourable senators, Montreal lost one of its icons last week when Hymie Sckolnick passed at the age of 96.

The son of Jewish Russian immigrants, Hymie Sckolnick bought a small snack bar in the Mile End district in 1942 and renamed it as a nod to his bowling nickname, Beauty. Beauty’s quickly became an institution in Montreal, a classic diner in a city famous for its food. Indeed, the renowned U.S. food critic Alan Richman named it “best restaurant city” in a Town & Country piece last year, but the figure who stood out most for him was Hymie. He said:

There should be a statue of Hymie Sckolnick erected. He’s unbelievable, the single best thing in Montreal — maybe even the world. . . . One of the greats of Montreal dining.

The food at Beauty’s was, indeed, terrific. “Everything is fresh, nothing frozen,” Hymie would say with great pride. You may have enjoyed lox and cream cheese on a bagel in your time, but I can assure you that you haven’t lived until you have had a Beauty’s Special on a late Sunday morning. As for eggs, nothing quite measures up to Beauty’s famous Mish-Mash omelette, a sinful blend of eggs, hot dogs, green peppers, onions and salami. I can feel my arteries clogging up just thinking about it. And as all the late-night boulevardiers of my fair city would attest, Beauty’s served up one of the best hangover breakfasts in Montreal.

But it was not the food that made Beauty’s so special; it was Hymie. As Bill Brownstein wrote of him in the Montreal Gazette last week:

He was one of a fast-dwindling breed of Montreal originals. A force of nature, a familiar face at the Beauty’s counter, always there to greet customers from sunrise throughout much of the day, every day of the week. And he continued shepherding the hungry into his eatery up until two months ago.

As, indeed, he did. Hymie would greet everyone who arrived at Beauty’s with his trademark “You’re welcome.” Everyone in town got the same warm treatment, from the many celebrities who dropped in when they were in town; to the countless regulars for whom a meal at Beauty’s was part of their regular routine, if not an almost religious-like ritual; to Monsieur et Madame Tout-le-Monde, who just walked in off the street for the first time.

Hymie infused his welcoming and warm spirit into everyone who worked there. His son Larry, my good friend and bandmate; his granddaughters Julie and Elana; and all the staff.

What makes a city great is its people, and Montreal lost one of its greats last week in Hymie Sckolnick. May he rest in peace, and may his memory be a blessing to all who knew and loved him.

Thank you.