L.A.'s food and hospitality community lost Jose “Chuy” Tovar Barraza, one of its most beloved personalities, this past Monday afternoon. Tovar died tragically in a daytime car crash in Riverside County that also claimed the lives of five others, including two children. He was 55.
“If you knew Chuy, you know that his laugh was infectious, his charm was through the roof, and his character was one of a kind,” reads a GoFundMe page started by his brother, Gerardo Tovar. “Chuy might not be with us, but he leaves a legacy through his daughters, granddaughters, mother, sister, brothers, nephews, nieces, cousins, and you, his loved ones."
Heartfelt posts from L.A.’s taco community started to pour in yesterday. Most, like Laura Tejeda, who was the first to notify L.A. TACO about Tovar’s untimely passing, are showing their appreciation on Instagram.
“To know him was to know that he was about community love, in the realest of ways,” she posted in a story alongside a black-and-white photo of Tovar laughing.
“Whether he served you a cup of coffee at Primera Taza or you caught up with him at that one hot pop-up, he always smiled, had all joy, and had all love for Boyle Heights, East Los. And all of L.A.,” she tells L.A. TACO.