In Memoriam: Longtime Area Restaurateur; Iconic Hook, Line & Sinker, Ichabod’s Owner, Chuck Barondess, 83

Longtime area restaurateur Charles “Chuck” Barondess, owner of the iconic Rumson Hook Line & Sinker and Sea Bright’s Ichabod’s, passed away on June 13, 2023. He was 83.

“Chuck had a lifelong career in retail and restaurant hospitality. He started in his father’s drugstore — Baron’s Drugs. Shortly thereafter, he co-founded Eastern Innkeepers. Always the visionary, the first restaurant the group launched was wildly successful — The Jolly Trolley of Westfield. He went on to open other fruitful restaurants in New Jersey and Colorado, including Charlie Brown’s locations, and Good Time Charley’s.

“He developed Dunn’s Garage, Hook Line & Sinker, Ichabod’s, Zeke’s, and Charley’s Grill with his second wife, Joanne DeCuollo. Chuck’s business acumen and pioneering sense of what makes a restaurant successful made him an influential force in the restaurant communities where he did business. His influence is and will continue to be felt through the many people he hired and mentored throughout his long career.”
Loved ones of Chuck Barondess in his obituary

Born in Plainfield on July 17, 1939, Chuck was the oldest son of the late Gerson and Bernice Barondess. He grew up in Westfield, graduated from Westfield High School and studied at American University.

Outside of his career, Chuck was an avid skier and hiker and loved spending time in his home in Aspen, CO in the ’70s and ’80s. Another love was travel and he made many trips to Hawaii and throughout Europe. He was one of first who flew on the Concorde between New York City and Paris.

He is survived by: his brother, Mark of Westfield; his three children, Amy, Robin and Roger, by his first wife Mimi (who predeceased him in 2021); and seven grandchildren, Michael, Bill, Lauren, Zackary, Liz, James, and Amanda.

His ashes will be spread on one of his favorite runs on Aspen Mountain in a private memorial.

— Edited obituary prepared by family via Thompson Memorial Home