Tom Spicer – The Spiceman

Monday,  I found out we lost a very dear person, Tom Spicer.

 

We all knew Tom. He was not known as a big man in terms of physical stature, but he was a big man in that he was extremely smart and talented, had a wonderful sense of humor, a big heart, was a good father, a great brother, a great friend, and I’m sure much, much more that I’m not even aware of.

It took me some time to write this, I was so incredibly heart sad. But I’m writing this as a tribute to my friend, who will be greatly missed.

He left a big impact on Dallas and on those who knew him. He knew something about everything, and a lot about a lot of things.  You couldn’t help but respect him. He quite literally led a movement in Dallas for living healthier lives and eating a healthier, fresher, more plant-based diet. He had a passion for gardening, food and life. He was incredibly genuine, generous and kind.

He was a self-made man who’d risen to a very impressive level in life in many ways, in the mere years he had with us.

I hadn’t known Tom that long, but I worked on some projects with him, and we had joined forces in our love of growing and consuming beautiful, healthy plants. He was an enormous force in Dallas, providing healthy fresh food for all of us to enjoy and thrive from. He had a gift for fun, laughter, making plants grow and creating exceptional gourmet food.

When I was Larry Hagman’s chef and nutritionist, I’d go to Tom’s to get the freshest organic foods I could. It was always such a delight to go back into his garden and see what he was growing at the time. It was a magical garden. I just felt better every time I went there.

At special times he’d be… on his hand-made musical instrument, playing the most beautiful music and sweeping everyone away into another world.

He was such a dear person, and I enjoyed his company so much. He was unique and rare. His place (one being – FM 1410) was always filled with conversation, music, and laughter.  It made me think that this must be what it was like in France, when the Impressionist artists and writers were together. Tom was magical in creating a space for everyone to feel relaxed, accepted and free to share their thoughts, dreams, art and aspirations. He was like the Gertrude Stein of Dallas. A rare and cherished person.

The picture I added above was one taken when he gave me a book signing (my book is: How To Be A Healthy Vegetarian)  party at his place FM1410. ( Thai’s Tom in the middle. I’m in the blue dress on the right with my mother next to me.) It was a joyous event and he was so dear to make food using recipes from my book. He had also contributed some recipes to my book. He was a such a dear friend.

He was the leader of a movement.

He will be greatly missed.

He has my respect and admiration.

I will miss my dear friend immensely.

I was working on a book with him and I happen to have a biography of his that we were putting in our book. I don’t think he would mind if I shared this with you.

Tom “Spiceman” Spicer’s food and music have always been intertwined. They are ripe, delicious, and sexy like homegrown, Creole tomatoes.

The Spiceman grew up in the Crescent City ,New Orleans, Louisiana into a family of five sisters, Doris, Diana, Bettina, Alice and Susan, and one, macho brother, Hank. Tom was raised by his right-brained mother, Alice, and his left-brained father, Captain Henry C. Spicer, Jr. Somehow his Danish mother managed to meet and marry his Dad, from Waycross, Georgia in Venezuela. Now that’s a spicy melting pot!

Tom entered at the tail end of the family and of his father’s naval tour of duty. Born in New Port, RI in 1956, he traveled with his family to Holland where they resided for 3 years. When Tom was 4 years old, Capt. Spicer and family were transferred to New Orleans where the Captain became Commandant of the 8th Naval District in 1960.

The two major influences and loves in Tom’s life are music and the land. The love of music comes via his dad. The love of the land comes via his mom. They are uniquely combined in The Spiceman.

As a young man Tom’s dad was a Jazz violinist and played gigs on the east coast that helped feed his family during the depression. One of the bands he was part of was called “The Georgia Jazz Babies”. His dad also entertained his large family by playing the piano at home.

Tom Spicer formalized his love of music by studying and playing bass at Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA. He then worked for many great musicians such as Clarence Gatemouth Brown, Robert Ely, Tracy Nelson, and Zachary Richard. He toured with Zachary Richard through France and Canada where he was introduced to the best food and freshest markets he’d ever experienced.

As a child Tom gardened with his mother in the lush, fertile soil near the Mississippi River. He frequented the French Market near Jackson Square as a child with his parents and later as a produce merchant. At the French Market he procured fresh Creole tomatoes, bay leaves, peppers and satsumas to sell to his Crescent City clients. One special client was his sister, Susan Spicer, chef/owner of Bayona restaurant in New Orleans.

Arthur Griffin, Tom’s great-grandfather, was a horticulturalist extraordinaire imported from England to New England in the early 1900’s by the Vanderbilts. Arthur grew hothouse melons and strawberries in the dead of winter for the Vanderbilts. However, he was more noted for his flowers winning trophies like the “Gardeners Chronicle” for his breed of “Gloriossa Rothchildsianna”.

In 1979 Tom’s connection to the land was enhanced when he was recruited by an oil and gas lease acquisition firm in Lafayette, LA. He trained to become a Louisiana, Oil & Gas Landman, which enabled Tom to rightfully say… “I’m a Looziana landman….dat’s de lease I can do”.

Upon returning to New Orleans after the oil crunch, Tom’s long time friend and peer, Jim Bremer, recruited him to work for a specialty produce company where Spiceman truly began to blossom.

Tom moved to Dallas, Texas in 1984 to expand his field of dreams. He was recruited by a failing hothouse tomato operation. Tom turned it into one of the most successful fresh herb and specialty greens operations in the state. At the same time he continued to play bass guitar and join the Dennis Cavalier Band every Mardi Gras where his bass playing was like file to gumbo.

When Tom’s imaginative bass playing styles and creative, New Orleans musicality got a hold of the flea market kalimba his sons, Erik and Maxwell, brought home, the Seque Kalimbass was born. Tom was able to join his bass with the African thumb piano and some great music has come alive.

The people who have had the delight of experiencing Tom “Spiceman” Spicer’s food and music keep coming back for more.

I will miss Tom very much. He leaves a huge void in many of our lives.

– Nancy Addison

 

 

This is Tom Spicer and Anne Oliver Lewis at their booth at the Chefs For Farmers Event at Lee Park in Dallas.

 

Click here if you want to watch Tom teach us how to cut green onions in the proper way.

 

Click here to watch an interview with Tom and SMU Reporter.

 

Click here to watch him play his unique musical instrument!