David Howell Caldwell March 17, 2026 | Park Hills, KY

David Howell Caldwell — fisherman, chef, restaurateur, scuba diver, glider pilot, gin distiller, smoke stack climber, and all-around instigator of a good time — has departed for the great beyond, presumably to start something wonderful there too.

A man of many addresses and even more adventures, David called Park Hills, Ludlow, Covington, and Louisville, Kentucky home over the years. No matter where he landed, he had a remarkable gift for making the place more interesting.

Many in the Northern Kentucky community knew David as the heart behind the Town & Country Restaurant in Park Hills, where he carried on the proud family tradition established by his father Glenn and his aunt Olga and uncle Carl. David's warmth and welcoming spirit turned every visit into something special — whether it was a quiet family dinner or a celebratory occasion. He had a way of making guests feel like they'd come home.

Never one to think small, David brought his lifelong love of the water to Cincinnati's dining scene in a big way, launching a seafood festival in 1987. One year, in classic David fashion, he decided the event needed a giant shark suspended from a hot air balloon. Because of course he did.

His passion for stirring things up didn't stop there. David loved — truly loved — to start things. He helped launch the Boars Head Festival, hosted legendary cookouts on his oversized grill, churned out homemade ice cream, and once upon a time kept his college friends very well lubricated with his own bathtub gin. He and his friend Wendle — the duo known as Shades of Blue — even had business cards printed: Music for All Occasions. Dave was nothing if not prepared.

His hobbies were as varied as they were enthusiastic. David was an avid fisherman, though it must be said that the fish of the tri-state area were well aware of his reputation and planned accordingly. He was a scuba diver (once memorably attacked by a fish — and no, he did not have anything in his bathing suit pocket, thank you very much). He skied, hiked, ran, glided, camped, and cooked elaborate meals in the wilderness because why rough it when you can rough it deliciously?

David traveled extensively and believed firmly that the best way to understand a new place was to eat everything it had to offer. He had a deep love for aquariums and sea life, a passion for meditation and philosophy, and an enthusiasm for dressing up that he brought to every party - including his Kentucky Derby parties and halloween parties with great personal commitment.

His sense of humor was singular. In college, he staged an elaborate fake death on a third date — carried out with the full cooperation of his friends. In 1971, he tied three bedsheets together with the word WHY written on them, and then climbed the MSU smokestack hanging the sign. When asked why, he gave the only reasonable answer: "Because I could." Decades later, he was still handing his kid the keys to the family van at age 11 and calling it a driving lesson. He also had a well-documented habit of claiming the brakes weren't working on back roads from the airport. He found this very funny. Eventually, so did everyone else.

David was a proud Kentucky Colonel, a member of the Lions Club, and an engaged participant in the Kentucky Restaurant Association — because even when he was being officially respectable, he brought his whole self to it.

He leaves behind a legacy of laughter, great meals, wild stories, and the unshakeable feeling that life should be lived with curiosity, creativity, and a willingness to climb the occasional smokestack.

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