The L.A. Food and Drink World Mourns Jose “Chuy” Tovar, a Community Legend, Dead at 55

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.

“Rest in peace, compa," wrote David Marin of East L.A. BBQ company, one of his closest friends. "This one hurts.”

Tovar was born in the Pueblo Magico of Talpa, in Jalisco’s Sierra Occidental mountain range, and raised in the San Gabriel Valley. He majored in finance at USC and graduated in 1992. Chuy was a proud Trojan, known to party like no other at tailgates, food meetups around Los Angeles, or during the week with the many friends who loved him.

Tovar started his culinary career in Los Angeles in 2006 as the food and beverage manager for Patina Restaurant Group. He oversaw the celebrated restaurant group’s expansion into Mammoth’s ski resort in 2008. In 2010, Chuy worked to launch one of the first additive-free tequilas in the L.A. market, distilled in the highlands of Jalisco, Real de Mexico.

In 2013, he worked as the general manager for Mariscos Jalisco. More recently, in 2020, he was the first to brew and sell fine Café Estelar—third-wave Mexican coffee—via his Primera Taza pop-up . He was among the first in the city to also sell Guadalajara-style lonches (sandwiches) using sourdough rolls that he sourced from Guadalajara. These delicious tortas were so delicious that they were known to bring grown men to tears .

“We lost a great friend yesterday,” posted Alan Cruz from A’s BBQ. “There’s a lot to be said about Chuy, but I don’t think there are enough words to describe him. You just had to meet the guy. Full of life, stories, and jokes.”

“Saint Chuy, the apostle of coffee," ” Alex Garcia of Evil Cooks tells L.A. TACO. "I remember he always had a spot for us to pop up and even if we didn’t make that much money, It was pleasant to talk and learn from all his knowledge. It seems to be unreal to be talking about trips and mezcal last Monday and now we have to postpone because you are in a trip to another universe. It’s not a goodbye, it’s 'un hasta luego,' Chuy. We’ll cross paths again and we’ll be having another mezcal porque como me dijiste el lunes, 'para todo mal, un mezcal. Y para todo bien, pues también.'” ("For everything bad, a mezcal. And for everything good, too.")

“You have helped countless people step up in this industry,” wrote Diego Argotti, the chef and owner behind Poltergeiest, on his Instagram stories.

At the time of publishing this obituary, there is no set date for a celebration of his life or memorial services. However, Ulises Pineda-Alfaro , chef and owner of Barrio Cantina, has confirmed that he is working on a collaboration dinner to raise funds for his family.

Rest in peace, Chuy. Thanks for making so many of us laugh everywhere you went and enriching all of our lives with your lonches, tequila, humor, and wisdom.

Update: A fundraiser ( a la carte) dinner for his funeral and services with many of his favorite taqueros in L.A. will be held at Barrio Cantina in Long Beach on Tuesday, 9/24, at 5 PM.