Hundreds hold honor guard in Rotterdam for deceased Nathaniël Gomes, inventor of popular Kapsalon dish

Hundreds of people gathered on Saturday morning to say goodbye to hairdresser Nataniël 'Tati' Gomes in the Rotterdam neighborhood of Delfshaven. Tati was a hairdresser and inventor of the famous Rotterdam takeaway dish, the Kapsalon, and an important member of the Cape Verdean community in the Netherlands. He was known as a friendly and helpful man who was always ready to give advice. Gomes had died last weekend at the age of 47 for reasons still unknown, Rijnmond reported.

Hundreds of grieving friends, acquaintances, and residents gathered outside Gomes' hair salon J&G on the Schiedamseweg in Rotterdam-West to pay their last respects. The mourners formed a guard of honor with white roses around the hearse at 10 a.m. on Saturday, according to the public broadcast.

Gomes was a regular at the shawarma store El Aviva, which was not far from his hair salon. In 2003, the Kapsalon was invented there, when Gomes added salad and cheese in addition to his regular portion of shoarma.

The Kapsalon, the Dutch word for hair salon, attracted many visitors to Tatis’ hair 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.