Mexican food truck closes temporarily after death of co-owner

Courtesy Tuka Tacos

Co-owner Jorge Rios died July 11.

A month-old Mexican food truck is closed temporarily following the death of its co-owner.

Karen Mariaca, who opened Tuka Tacos LLC with mother Martha Mariaca and father Jorge Rios, said the 1602 E. Kearney St. restaurant likely would be closed for a few months due to Rios' death yesterday. Karen Mariaca said her mother plans to return to the business after that.

"He was always happy and always told me that we should create ideas for people to get excited to come to the food truck," Mariaca said via Facebook Messenger of her father. "The last conversation I had with my dad was about the food truck. It's so heartbreaking having to relive because he had a passion for it."

A GoFundMe crowdfunding campaign has been created to help cover funeral expenses for Rios. The description for the campaign indicates Rios "suffered an incident that caused his heart to stop beating. He was taken to the hospital where they were observing him. Unfortunately, the damage to his brain was very severe and he passed on to a better life."

The family launched the food truck June 10, according to its Facebook page. Before that, Mariaca said they were involved in catering and began to gain a reputation for their food, leading up to the launch of Tuka Tacos.

The food truck’s menu includes tacos, burritos, quesadillas and quesabirrias.