Friends and colleagues gathered Wednesday night in Gretna for a candlelight vigil to honor Jimmy Cho, the owner of Banana Blossom restaurant, who died last week.
“He really just wasn’t the owner of a restaurant,” Gretna Mayor Belinda Constant said. “He was passionate about what he did. He was passionate about his product, about the food that he served people and he was passionate the people.”
The vigil included a somber walk down 9th Street, toward Banana Blossom restaurant, followed by a Buddhist prayer in Cho’s memory. The event was organized by friends in the local restaurant industry.
“He was a very kind man. I loved working for him,” Peter Reyes, one of Cho’s employees, said.
According to an obituary posted on the Banana Blossom restaurant Facebook page, Cho moved to New Orleans from Thailand and opened his restaurant in 2009 after discovering his passion for the hospitality industry while attending college.
“If there was a party in Gretna, Jimmy was a part of it,” Constant said. “He was a part of our Gretna family.”
Several restaurants in Gretna honored Cho last week by serving one of his dishes on their menus.
“The most fun we had was when it was super busy and we’re just running around the kitchen and everybody’s in the dining room and it’s just crazy,” Reyes said. “We loved it, and Jimmy loved it.”
Reyes said Banana Blossom is closed to customers until further notice. But employees have been cooking Cho’s recipes and sharing them with local first responders and hospital staff to honor his memory.
“This is what Jimmy was,” Cho’s friend Maryam Bahman said. “He loved life. He loved the city of Gretna, and he was a part of it, and we all can attest to that, right? We loved him.”
The Jefferson Parish Coroner’s Office stated that Cho’s autopsy report is pending toxicology results.
“Wherever you saw Jimmy, he was always a friend,” fellow business owner and friend of Cho, Hope Liberto, said.
READ MORE:Gretna community honors beloved restaurant owner with candlelight vigil
