Supporting Cat now that Eric's 86'd

Jennifer Cadence is organizing this fundraiser on behalf of Cathleen Ludwig.

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86'd: Restaurant slang used when an item is no longer available. Often used as a joke when someone wants to end their shift early, on someone's last day of work, or in this case, when a chef decides he wants to use kitchen humor to have his beloved wife toast him after his death.

My name is Jen, and I’m going to do my best to honor a loving husband, amazing friend, diehard sports fan, and badass member of our restaurant family in the most concise way possible.

On March 27th, 2024 the world became a little dimmer when Eric Ludwig lost a long, hard fought battle that began with a blood infection in 2023. If you knew Eric, you knew how much of a fighter he was, and you know how unbelievable that sentence is to read. He was 41 years young, leaving behind his wife, Cat, and their four legged fantastical beasts Griffey, his beloved dog, Charlie and Norah, their cats, and a handful of bunnies that Cat mischievously brought home in January.

I knew and loved Eric for a number of reasons, but there’s a few big standouts:

In the restaurant we worked at together, he was multi-talented and incredibly hard working. It didn’t matter if it was prepping or running service, he could do it all while cracking jokes that are only appropriate for the afterwork restaurant crowd. If you’ve ever worked in the industry before you know how rare the good ones are. He was one of the good ones.
He was one of the biggest sports fans to have ever walked this earth and the king of fantasy football. He loved the Green Bay Packers, Seattle Mariners, NDSU Bisons, UW Huskies, and for some random reason, the Miami Heat. If he wasn’t watching sports or setting a lineup, there was a good chance he was binging Pat McAfee to stay on top of things. If you ever need proof of just how eclectic this man’s taste in sports was, there is a photo of him somewhere in the corners of the internet where he’s wearing his NDSU Wentz jersey while attending a Seahawks game with a group of Hawks’ fans at Lucas Oil Stadium when they played the Colts.
Our dog - and every other animal for that matter - absolutely adored him.
He was unapologetically himself, which meant he was quick witted, stubborn, and unwilling to tolerate bullshit.
Your race, religion, and status mattered far less to him than whether or not you were actually a decent human being. And if you were ever on the side of not being a good human, boy would he let you know it.

But most of all, Eric fiercely loved Cat. There was nothing in this world that mattered more to him than being her husband and protector, which is why we’re welcoming his community to step in now that he’s no longer here.

Cat doesn’t know this is being put out into the world, and when she finds out, she’s probably going to be pissed. But here’s the deal- when someone loses their person, they shouldn’t need to ask for help, and they also shouldn’t be working multiple jobs to cover the expenses of losing that person, so we’re doing this on her unknowing behalf. These numbers may be adjusted as we don’t yet have the final breakdowns of everything that’s needed, and we may not for some time, but this is a ballpark figure that we’re hoping can cover some of the expenses that we’re aware of:

Medical expenses from emergency visits, specialists like cardiologists, tests, and anything else insurance may not have covered in the past year
Any remaining debt that death does not wipe out such as student loans
Funeral arrangements and the remainder of end of life care
Supporting Cat with day-to-day expenses for several months to ease the financial burden. We believe Eric didn't have life insurance, and this will help bridge that gap.

Every contribution, big or small, will make a difference. Please share this campaign and help us celebrate Eric's life while supporting Cat as she navigates this difficult time.

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