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MANSFIELD - A waitress was recognized Tuesday for her quick actions that prevented a man from choking.

Nicole Setaro, of Central Falls, R.I., was waiting tables at LongHorn Steakhouse in Erin's Centre Oct. 29 when she heard a woman yell that her husband was choking.

Without pausing, Setaro rushed to the man, performed the Heimlich maneuver and was able to dislodge the piece of food.

By the time rescue crews arrived, the man was breathing again - so well, in fact, that he declined a trip to the hospital.

The feat was especially remarkable because Setaro has never had any first aid training and the man was much larger than her. "I'm pretty surprised myself that I was able to do it," she said. "He was at least a foot taller than me and a large-framed man."

The Mansfield Fire Department honored Setaro with a brief ceremony Tuesday night at the restaurant.

Chief Neal Boldrighini presented her with a letter of commendation and she was greeted with a round of applause from firefighters, as well as her friends, family and coworkers.

"It's a success story," Deputy Fire Chief James Puleo said. "So much of what we do is tragic. It's nice to see a happy ending."

Setaro said she was a little overwhelmed by the attention, but was happy she was able to help the man.

"I'm very happy that he ended up being OK," she said.

MATT KAKLEY covers Mansfield for The Sun Chronicle. He can be reached at 508-236-0333 or at mkakley@thesunchronicle.com.