Many Guangzhou expatriates may already be aware that the familiar face of Daniel Rebecca, of “Danny’s Bagel” fame, passed away last weekend, March 26 2011.

I had never met Danny in the flesh, but he provided his input on the development of this website and I regularly chatted with him on both Facebook and Twitter. I also never visited his restaurant, but was (and still am) very familiar with the menu; I ordered from it all the time when I lived in Guangzhou in 2006 and 2007.

Danny had lived in Guangzhou since 1994, making him one of the city’s longest-term expats and known to many foreigners who live there now or passed through over the years. His restaurant was, and is, a landmark for hungry laowai looking for down-home American cooking. But more than that, as many comments online can attest, he was a connector; a warm man who made people feel welcome. (That he was a great NHL hockey fan does not escape me either, even if it was the New Jersey Devils he adored.)

He will be missed.

(Photos are from the Facebook page of Lonnie Hodge).