Lucky Pelican Bistro reopening. Fund started for family of chef who died from COVID-19
Nearly two weeks after the death of a line chef from complications of COVID-19, the Lucky Pelican Bistro, 6239 Lake Osprey Drive, was reopening for dinner on Tuesday.
Patrick Moore, owner of the Lucky Pelican, has set up a GoFundMe page for the family of the chef, identified as Mario, who left behind four children. He was in his mid-30s at the time of his death. Tuesday, 292 donors had contributed a total of $15,753 toward the $50,000 goal, with the money going to Mario’s mother, Teresa Gamero.
The staff of the Lucky Pelican learned of Mario’s death July 9, and the restaurant shut down immediately to have everyone tested for COVID-19 and to deep clean the restaurant.
Mario passed away soon after his positive diagnosis for COVID-19, leaving the restaurant staff in shock.
“He had lived in this area most of his life and was well liked,” Moore said of Mario.
“Mario was a hardworking father, who worked several jobs, including owning and operating his own food truck on the weekends. Mario worked hard for his kids, and would talk about how much they motivated him,” Moore said on the GoFundMe page.
“Besides being a hardworking father, Mario also had an amazing sense of humor that was a great combination of a dry sense of humor and dad jokes. He loved to find ways to include his name into his jokes. Everyday before he left work, he would always say, “See you toMARIO!” Another staff member he worked with at the Lucky Pelican, always loved when Mario would come up and say, “It’s a me, Mario!” the same way the Nintendo Super Mario is known for,” Moore wrote.
“Mario was a caring man who was always willing to help others. It was obvious he enjoyed making others happy. Whenever he had food left over from his food truck on Sundays he would bring it into work on Mondays and make a large staff meal for everyone. While everyone devoured his delicious food, Mario would be standing there with a big smile on his face, and pride that he was able to make some many people happy with his food. He was a great chef,” Moore said.
For more information visit Mario’s Memorial Fund on GoFundMe.
As the staff regrouped and prepared to reopen the restaurant Tuesday, Moore said that it was clear that Mario’s death weighed on everyone.
“We are just appreciative of everyone’s support and encouragement for the restaurant. I think the people in this area are the nicest I have ever met,” Moore said.
The Lucky Pelican’s reopening continues Wednesday, expanding to include lunch.
All staff members are required to wear gloves and face masks, and have their temperatures recorded.
The staff sanitizes all surfaces that come into human contact, and have sanitizer at all tables. The bar has remained closed through the pandemic.
Temporary lunch hours for the restaurant are 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. Temporary dinner hours are 4-9 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday and 4-8 p.m. Sunday.
To see the full lunch and dinner menus, visit luckypelicanbistro.com.
