Food Industry Couple Seeks Help While Family Fights COVID-19
The Gonzales family at Christmas time. Joe Gonzales is on the left and his father, Julius, is second from the left. Julian, as well as Joe's brother, Ernest, lost their battles with COVID-19. The third brother, John, is on a ventilator and fighting for his life. Photo courtesy of Bianca Gonzales.
Joe Gonzales works two jobs within Houston’s food service industry sector. According to his wife, Bianca (who, as a bartender with Marriott, is also a hospitality industry worker), on the weekends Joe works for popular local baker Cake & Bacon, selling breads and pastries at Urban Harvest Farmers Market on Saturdays and Bay Area Farmers Market on Sundays. During the week, he works at Ace Mart Restaurant Supply as a kitchen design and project manager. At the same time, Gonzales’ family has been decimated by COVID-19. To cover medical and funeral expenses, a barbecue plate fundraiser is planned for Sunday, January 31 at the Bay Area Farmers Market at Baybrook Mall (500 Baybrook Mall) in Friendswood from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Click to view the fundraiser flyer.
“Our family has been hit hard by the virus, with my husband losing his eldest brother, Ernest, two days before Thanksgiving,” wrote Bianca Gonzales. “Joe’s dad — my father-in-law, Julius — passed away this last Saturday. His last brother, John, is on a ventilator with a decision to be made on him by Monday of the upcoming week, as the doctors say they have exhausted their options.”
Jeff Weinstock, Gonzales’ employer at Cake & Bacon, thinks highly of him.
Joe’s been incredible to work with,” said Weinstock. “We met him when he worked at Bakers Best, which is where we got all of our equipment from for the bakery. He’s a great guy who loves his friends and family, and what his family has and is going through is not for the faint of heart. He is a very strong and willful individual.”
Barbecue plates at the fundraiser event, which will be prepared by Gonzales family friend Nick Peña, are only $10, and there will also be raffles for gift cards and other prizes. The family has also set up a PayPal (juniorgonzales0411@yahoo.com) and CashApp accounts for contributions to the funeral and medical expenses ($juniorgonzales0411).
Phaedra Cook has written about Houston’s restaurant and bar scene since 2010. She was a regular contributor to My Table magazine (now closed) and was the lead restaurant critic for the Houston Press for two years, eventually being promoted to food editor. Cook founded Houston Food Finder in November 2016 and has been its editor and publisher ever since.
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