Steve Haweeli, whose WordHampton Public Relations firm in Springs became the pre-eminent promoter of restaurants and hospitality companies here and across Long Island, died on Aug. 23 at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan of complications from Covid-19. He was 68.
The charismatic Mr. Haweeli, who, according to the firm, “launched the company from behind the bar at Nick and Toni’s in 1992,” parlayed his networking skills as a popular bartender into a successful career promoting restaurants and businesses in the hospitality, real estate, lifestyle, service, and health care fields.
In 2003, inspired by New York Restaurant Week, the company started Hamptons Restaurant Week, an instant hit with diners and restaurateurs alike. Long Island Restaurant Week and East End Restaurant Week followed.
Mr. Haweeli was working as a bartender in the city in the 1980s when he first dipped a toe into public relations, sending out leaflets to spread the word about his own move from one job to another and then on behalf of his new employer. He soon developed a mailing list, and offered his services to other downtown establishments. “I told them, ‘I have a letter and a mailing list, and I can put fannies in your seats,’ “ he told The Star in 2011. “I never studied communications. I never worked at an agency,” he said.
He went to work as a bar manager at Nick and Toni’s in 1991, and when he started his firm the following year, the restaurant was his first account. It is now under the banner of Honest Man Restaurants, and its sister establishments — La Fondita, Coche Comedor, Townline BBQ, and Rowdy Hall — are all represented by WordHampton.
“Steve was a passionate man whose passions knew no boundaries when it came to business, sports, his biological family, his work family, and those he considered a friend,” said Mark Smith, an owner of Honest Man. “Steve was a lover of life and fought until he could not fight anymore.”
His approach, Mr. Haweeli told the Star, had always been simple: “Present solid information in a timely manner. If a member of the media needs something, get it to them complete and well prepared, and be nice.”
In 2007, he took up painting, producing “vibrant, contemporary abstract works in oil and acrylic,” according to Ellen Watson, his former wife and good friend.
His early paintings were “abstracted landscapes based on his experience of the South Fork,” The Star’s arts editor, Jennifer Landes, wrote in the 2011 interview. His work is now in several private collections and has been shown widely in local galleries and exhibitions.
“Steve was a lover of everything beautiful, colorful, and exciting in the world,” Ms. Watson said. “His extensive travel and love of different cultures opened his mind to all that the world has to offer. He loved life and lived it to the fullest each day.” He had traveled to more than 30 countries, but one of his favorite places in the world was the beach at Maidstone Park, where, his family wrote, he swam almost daily, weather permitting.
Mr. Haweeli loved to read and loved music, jazz in particular, and would attend live performances at every opportunity. “His love for vibrant, expressive music wholly matched his personality, as did his insatiable love for travel,” said his son, Ned Haweeli. “He showed me some of my favorite music that turned me into the musician I am today, and I would not be the man I am today without his parenting and love.”
He enjoyed cooking and appreciated the bounty of local produce here. A favorite summer meal was grilled fish he’d caught himself, with corn and a homegrown tomato-and-basil salad.
For three seasons, he hosted the LTV series “foodTALK,” featuring local chefs, growers, food producers, and food enthusiasts.
Mr. Haweeli was born in White Plains, N.Y., on Jan. 17, 1954, to Norman Haweeli and the former Eleanor Powers. He graduated from Manhasset High School and from Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y., before moving to New York City.
He moved to the South Fork in 1991. In 1997, five years after starting WordHampton, he brought on Nicole Castillo as a full-time employee. She eventually became his business partner and WordHampton’s executive vice president. “Steve has been an incredible mentor to me over the years, teaching me everything from how to write a press release to running a business,” Ms. Castillo wrote.
His industry awards included the Jack Rettaliata Lifetime Achievement Award from the Public Relations Professionals of Long Island in 2012. He was named to Long Island Business News’s “Fifty or So Around 50” Class of 2010 business leaders, and in 2012 was an honoree at the Long Island Hospitality Ball. He was also a founder of the Croft Society, a professional group of P.R. and communications firms from around the country “dedicated to sharing business management practices and developing future agency leaders,” according to WordHampton. The firm’s campaigns for its clients won countless other awards.
A longtime board member of the East Hampton Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Haweeli served as its president for a time. He had also served on the board of Suffolk County Community College’s culinary arts program and the Family Service League, and was a vestry member of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in East Hampton.
He was also a lifelong Yankees fan.
Described as a “devoted father, dedicated business owner and mentor, and a great friend to many from all circles of life,” Mr. Haweeli is survived by his son, who lives in Woodstock, N.Y.; two cousins, a dedicated staff at WordHampton, and friends and colleagues around the world.
His family has suggested donations in his memory to the Springs Food Pantry, 5 Old Stone Highway, East Hampton 11937, or online at springsfoodpantry.com.
A wake will be held on Thursday, Sept. 8, from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Yardley and Pino Funeral Home in East Hampton. A funeral will be held on Friday, Sept. 9, at 11 a.m. at St. Luke's.
