The Piece of Green Velvet: Memories of Hitsch Albin
Winters come and go - some bitter, others mild. March in New York always seems to be brown and raw and spring far away. Every morning I looked out of my second-story bedroom window at my wretched lawn - patchy, muddy and all together a mess. Diagonally, in my field of vision, I could see what appeared to be a piece of green velvet. It was Hitsch Albin’s lawn!
Christian “Hitsch” Albin was our next door neighbor for more than thirty years and he LOVED his garden, especially the lawn. As if by magic it sprang to life each year and was carefully tended throughout the seasons. All summer the garden was a riot of color - so perfect, so beautiful. Hitsch and his wife, Johanna, worked hard to keep it so.
And then, of course, came the delicious aromas from their barbecue. You see, Hitsch was the executive chef at the Four Seasons restaurant and when he lit up that grill the neighborhood took notice. Years ago we ran out of propane while grilling a butterflied leg of lamb. No worries - Hitsch took the meat to his place and perfection resulted.
Hitsch was born in 1947 in Tersnaus, Switzerland, the third of seven children. He and Joanna moved to Palisades in the early seventies where they raised two children, Stephanie and Chris, and in 1975 he began working at The Four Seasons. He treated us to many memorable meals there and always joined us at our table late in the evening. It was obvious that the staff loved him and he held his lofty position with such humility and grace.
Hitsch died on June 13 after a short illness. He is mourned not only by his family but by his neigbors as well. We miss seeing him in the garden every day and each time the lawn mower starts up I think “ Oh, there’s Hitsch mowing his piece of green velvet.”