Hundreds of people joining together, praying for chef Brian Roland’s recovery

Reporter: Justin Kase Writer: Matthew Seaver
Published: Updated:
Brian Roland. Courtesy of the Crave Culinaire website

More than a hundred people joined together on Wednesday to support beloved chef Brian Roland. After being pinned under a car service elevator, the new father is still in the hospital.

The community gathered for a vigil outside of Lee Memorial to ensure Brian’s wife and baby know they are supported.

People came from all across Southwest Florida to show their support. They had tears in their eyes and shared hugs of support.

One thing said by everyone who came out to show their support; pray for Brian and his family.

Teresa Lazzaro, a friend of Brian’s, said, “Brian has a huge heart. He’s a ray of sunshine.”

“Just talking about him makes me smile,” said Brian’s friend Dayton Brown.

David Wistocki, who works with Brian, agrees. “Brian is always someone that has a smile on his face. Every single time that we see him. He just walks. He’s got a smile, right. He’s just one of those people that has that energy.”

Loved ones say Brian would do anything for the people in his life and his community.

The well-known chef recently had a baby, and his family is on the minds of many in this community.

One of his co-workers, Stephanie Meyser, said, “people love Brian. People love Nicole. And as an event community, we’re tight. And this is what we can do to support them right now.”

During the vigil, loved ones filled several whiteboards with messages of love and encouragement for Brian and his family.

“Asking God to wrap his hands around the Roland family and that we love Brian and just praying that he gets through this,” said Lazzaro.

Brown hopes the support from the community helps Brian recover. “We hope that it just fills him with so much hope, that he can feel that energy, you know, and that it just goes up and rises up to his family, into his room and just makes him be strong and know he’s loved.”

A woman speaking on behalf of the family said she didn’t have an update on Brian’s condition but said the support from the community means everything.

She said Brian’s wife Nicole sees all the messages, feels the prayers, and can’t thank the community enough.

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