Adriano Poponessi: 'Beloved' waiter dies after choking on a piece of mozzarella during work break
A ‘beloved’ waiter has died after choking on a piece of mozzarella during a work break.
Adriano Poponessi, 50, a longtime waiter at ‘La Spiaggia’ restaurant at the Carbonelli family's beach resort in Sabaudia, was enjoying a short break on Saturday afternoon (July 26) when tragedy struck. According to Italian outlet Corriere della Sera, the incident happened shortly after 6pm.
“A piece of mozzarella went the wrong way – as they say when food enters the windpipe – and he began struggling to breathe due to airway obstruction,” the report said.
Emergency services were called immediately, and despite desperate attempts to revive him and an airlift to Santa Maria Goretti Hospital in Latina, Poponessi could not be saved. A scheduled music event at the beach club that evening was cancelled out of respect.
Poponessi was described by Corriere as “a vibrant person, known to everyone, one of the pillars of the Carbonelli family's lido in Sabaudia.”
His funeral took place at 11am on Monday, July 28, at the Church of San Luca in Latina.
The London restaurant 2 Veneti, where Poponessi also worked and was deeply loved, paid tribute to him in a heartfelt Instagram post: "With broken hearts and tears that know no end, we share the tragic and senseless loss of our beloved friend Adriano Poponessi.
“Adriano touched so many lives and brought warmth to countless evenings for our customers and friends. He will be deeply missed. – Simon, Patrizia and the 2 Veneti family.”
Friends and former customers flooded the comments with messages of grief, including “Ciao Adri 😢💔” and “RIP 💓🙏”.