The king is dead, long live the king!
Southwestern’s King of the Kitchen is gone, but not forgotten. At least not yet.
Friends of former SWC grilling legend Raul Haro are still pushing for a memorial for the cheerful chef who served the college for 24 years before his heartbreaking death from pancreatic cancer in April 2011.
Known as the “King of the Kitchen” by his coworkers and the students that came to know him, Haro was a much-loved fixture on the campus. A memorial in his honor was discussed during a governing board meeting in January 2012, but the effort has been stalled.
Haro’s friends, however, are pushing on.
Josie Kane, a long-time coworker, said she treasured working with Haro.
“He was always very friendly,” she said. “He was a good cook, I know that. He always had a big smile. And he wore one of those big top chef hats, the big ones! In the end I would love to see, ‘Raul’s Grill.’ with a picture of him with his big tall chef hat and that smile.”
Although the memorial has lost traction, some of Haro’s friends have set up their own.
“We have his little memorial card from his funeral,” Kane said. “It sits on top of the Grab & Go, but unless you’re looking up at the Grab & Go, you’d totally miss it.”
Lack of progress on the Haro memorial is disappointing, Kane said, but it may have been forgotten because of other pressing issues.
Yleanna Fierro, a student services assistant at Disabled Student Services, said she is a Haro fan. Fierro said she admired his ability to listen to his customers, and keep a positive attitude. She called him a person of “service and optimism.”
“People came to his food station and he would greet them by name,” she said. “He listened to their problems and that always helps when you’re upset. He would ask them what they wanted to eat and he would make it as he listened to them. He was just a happy person and always made jokes.”
Fierro said she was told that when the café was remodeled, a memorial to Haro would be installed. She said she is disappointed that has not yet happened.
Haro’s son, Raul Haro Jr., attends SWC and he said he asks on occasion about his father’s memorial. Haro Jr. said he received an email from the administrative secretary from instructional support services, Thelma Corrao, detailing the process of his father’s memorial.
“I was told that there would be a plaque and also that they were going to name the grill after him,” said Haro Jr. “I was told about the idea and asked what I wanted the grill to be named.”
He was told it would be completed in a month. That was about 11 months ago, he said.
“The last thing I was told was that they were waiting for an art teacher to do it,” said Haro Jr. “Right now the only thing they have is a picture from his viewing. I find it disrespectful because it’s just on top of the Grab & Go.”
Larry Lambert, online instructional support specialist, has been working on the plan alongside Corrao.
“Both of us were heading the project to get this memorial done and we wanted to do it quickly,” Lambert said. “But it’s been 20 months.”
He said the plaque needs to be ordered and the text printed on it as well as have an artist do a painting above the grill.
“It was a real scramble to get commitment out of the people to get this done,” said Lambert. “Then Thelma went on medical leave for a while.”
Lambert said plans are back on track and the memorial will be finished by the end of December. A ceremony celebrating Haro is part of the plan.
“We need to make sure people treat this with the importance that is due,” Lambert said. “This is a memorial for someone who is not around anymore.”