Nathaniel Gomes, inventor of popular Kapsalon dish, dies at age 47
Nathaniel Gomes, hairdresser, musician, and inventor of the famous Rotterdam takeaway dish, the Kapsalon, has died at age 47, his friend Jandino Asporaat reported on Instagram. “My heart broke into a thousand pieces when I saw you lying there last night,” Asporaat, a well-known artist, wrote.
Gomes, called Tati by most, ran a hair salon on Schiedamseweg in Rotterdam, a few doors down from the shawarma shop El Aviva, of which he was a frequent customer. In 2003, Tati felt like something different and asked for extra ingredients, like cheese and lettuce, with his regular portion of shoarma. And thus, the Kapsalon was born, Rijnmond reports.
Rijnmond journalist Tenny Tenzer once showed Gomes a photo of a snack bar in Jakarta serving the Kapsalon. “This is very special,” Tati told the broadcaster at the time. “I did not expect this in Indonesia. I did hear stories from Belgium, Poland, America, and even Nepal. It is a delicacy there.”
The Kapsalon - the Dutch word for hair salon - attracted many visitors to Gomes’ actual salon. “The Kapsalon was a good promotion for me,” he once told Rijnmond. “I get clients from all over the world who want me to give them a haircut. They come to thank me especially and then go to eat a Kapsalon. It is a dish for all of us.”
The Kapsalon dish consists of french fries topped with doner or gyro meat, covered with melted cheese and salad ingredients like tomato, lettuce, and cucumber.
The cause of Gomes’ death was not reported. But his death came as a shock to his friend Asporaat. “How could you die? Dear Tati, I don’t understand. Your father will soon turn 100,” he wrote on Instagram. “You looked forward to it. How, then, did you die at 47? I don’t understand.”
“You were an amazing musician, played for many great artists, you were a wonderful father to your three children, but above all, you were a beautiful, sincere person,” Asporaat wrote. “Tati, you are so loved. I hope you know that wherever you are now. How do we go on without you?”
