A popular and beloved chef at a restaurant at the Wharf in D.C. died suddenly Sunday. Now his colleagues, devastated as they are, are coming together to support his family.
Fredy Lopez, the executive chef at Kirwan’s on the Wharf, was just 33 years old when he collapsed at his church Sunday, suffering from an apparent heart attack. He later died.
He leaves behind a wife and two small children.
“He went to church and pretty much he was preaching on the podium, and he made a loud noise, and he just collapsed,” said David Howard, assistant general manager at Kirwan’s. “I have good memories. He was always joking away. He was good with the staff, welcoming.”
Lopez started at Kirwan’s in 2017 as a line cook. But he worked his way up to executive chef. A man of devout faith, he was from South America. Kirwan’s also employs his brother and father.
Lopez’s friends and family have established a GoFundMe fundraiser following his death.
“The goal right now is $25,000 to cover the funeral expenses as well as to support the family,” Howard said. “We’re also going to be doing a fundraiser ourselves for Fredy. We don’t know exactly when. We’ve also got a lot of our representatives, like our suppliers are also going to try and help us out.”
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