A Tribute To The Hungry Hut’s ‘Bud’ Toulany
HALIFAX– Ochterloney Street has lost a legend far too soon. On July 5, Halime Toulany passed away at 49 years old. For the last two decades, he and the Toulany family have been fixtures in Dartmouth, along with the restaurant they all ran, The Hungry Hut.
Earlier this week, the tragic news broke when the family posted a tribute to “Bud” and suddenly closed the Hungry Hut. They also posted an online obituary announcing his passing. No cause of death has been publicized.
It quickly became clear just how important Halime and the Toulany family are in Dartmouth. Online tributes from the business community, friends, and customers quickly poured in on social media, some receiving hundreds of shares.
Those who have a special place in our hearts often earn a nickname that reflects who they are. To those who knew Toulany, he was known as Bud, a man who made you feel welcome; a man who became a friend and buddy to those around him extremely quickly.
Melissa Landry of C&M Painting recalls with a smile how she first met Bud during Halloween of 2001. Landry and her sister walked into Revana Pizza, where Bud was working at the time. As per his nature, Bud quickly took up conversation with the two people he never met before. He asked if they were doing anything for Halloween. The two young mothers replied that they were taking their kids out trick or treating. Bud let out a huge, surprised laugh when he learned that Landry and his sister were parents.
“He threw himself back and laughed so hard when we told him they were our kids,” Landry recalled to Huddle. “Oh my God, I thought you guys were just teenagers!” was Bud’s hearty response.
From that point on, the sisters would specifically request that Bud be the one to serve them at Revana. Years later, when Landry would drop into The Hungry Hut, Bud would often recount the fond memory of the first time they met.
“A lot of times while we were in The Hungry Hut, he was out on a delivery, but he would typically come back while we were still there; always walking in with the biggest smile on his face and greeting us just like we were family,” said Landry.
“The conversations between us all were always very random and just about life. He would ask us how business was going for us… [The last time I saw him] he definitely would have brought up that first meeting. I don’t think there was a time I would see him that he wouldn’t bring that up.”
Bud’s memory for the customers he would meet is one of the reasons he became so legendary and so beloved. You didn’t even have to be a regular for Bud to remember your name and face.
Andrea Besaw lives in Ontario but she tries to visit Halifax every summer to see her mother, who just so happens to live on Ochterloney. She would often drop into The Hungry Hut where she was warmly greeted by a smiling Bud.
“He would always recognize us and always had a smile,” recalls Besaw. “He always was happy to see us. We don’t always make it home at the same time of year, or even every year. But when we stepped foot through that door, he remembered that we were traveling from Ontario.”
Besaw also remembers how Bud would go out of his way to make others feel happy about themselves.
“A few years ago, I popped into the restaurant when I was home and he said to me, ‘you know your mom always comes in here to tell me how you’re doing. And you know, she’s really proud of you.’”
As people online kept writing tributes for Bud, the tributes didn’t just come in for Bud himself. The entire Toulany family was remembered fondly.
“The family is a special one,” states Landry. “They had the number of regular customers they did for a reason. You couldn’t ask for better customer service. Always so pleasant and happy to see you walk in. Greet you by name and treat you like family.”
“I lost my sister in November 2021. I brought them in an itinerary from her funeral. They cried and hugged us like they just lost their own. We ordered a large Bubba pizza, a large ham, hamburger and bacon pizza and a poutine. They would not accept any more than $20 for our order.”
Joanne Toplis, a Hungry hut regular years ago, remembers how much of Bud’s warm personality was reflective of his mother and father.
“He always had a smile, and the whole family was always like that,” said Toplis. “Even Mom and Dad, who I never knew their names (Halime and Josephine) until I read the obituary. We always just called them Mom and Dad.”
Toplis even credits the Toulany family for saving her sanity once during a particularly bad day at work.
“I decided I didn’t want to cook supper. So, I went over to Hungry Hut to pick up Donaires. And it was probably two and a half hours later when I finally got back to the office because I just sat there at one of the tables while they worked. And we just talked.”
“I just talked to them about anything and everything for two and a half hours while they worked. They were that type of people. They could make a really bad day better by just being them.”
Derek Montague is a Huddle reporter in Halifax. Send him your feedback and story ideas: [email protected].