(SELBYVILLE, Del.)- Friends and family joined the public in Selbyville to honor and celebrate Matt Haley's life Sunday afternoon.
"We just are going to greatly miss him and all the things he did for us and for the people of Delaware," said business associate Chad Robinson.
Haley recently passed away from injuries he received in a motorcycle accident in India.
Local restaurant owner and winner of the 2014 James Beard Humanitarian of the Year award, Matt Haley was a man of many hats. He was the only Delawarean to receive a James Beard award. Haley owned and operated restaurants throughout Sussex County.
Longtime friend and famous actor, James Keegan, tells WRDE that Haley was widely renowned as a culinary ambassador and one of the greatest philanthropists Delaware has ever seen.
"He knew that good was the enemy of great, and that perfect was the enemy of good," explained Keegan. "And that's the way he lived his life. He showed up, he put on, and he asked what was next."
Throughout Haley's early life he battled drug and alcohol addictions. He eventually turned his life around and became a public figure and role model. Patrick Moran is a childhood friend of Haley's and the two grew up together in Kensington Maryland.
"He went through some difficult times in his life. And he recovered from them and he did a lot of good for a lot of people," said Moran. "We're all going to miss him."