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‘Tamale Guy’ Claudio Velez is in the hospital with COVID-19, but his restaurant reopened in Chicago anyway

Velez is reportedly in stable condition at a local Chicago area hospital

Holly Petre, Assistant Digital Editor

September 11, 2020

2 Min Read
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Claudio Velez, who is known as “The Tamale Guy,” is reportedly in stable condition after being diagnosed with COVID-199 last month.The Tamale Guy

Claudio Velez, who is known as “The Tamale Guy,” has been somewhat of a celebrity in Chicago for almost two decades, walking around neighborhoods and selling his homemade tamales out of a cart.

He was known for carting a red cooler from bar to bar in North Chicago neighborhoods, packed with tamales in plastic Ziploc bags. Velez reportedly immigrated to Chicago at age 28 from Mexico and has been selling his tamales ever since. He is currently 55-years old.

There was no schedule or set route and The Tamale Guy, as he was affectionately known, was a welcome surprise to late-night bar guests as he pulled up outside an establishment.

When the pandemic forced Velez to stop selling out of his cart after bars closed, he lost all his income and had to think of a new plan.

After a few failed attempts at selling door-to-door that led to cease-and-desist letters from city officials,  Velez decided to open up his own brick-and-mortar restaurant in early August. It was funded partially by a GoFundMe page set up by loyal patrons that raised $33,000.

The Ukrainian Village restaurant is called Tamale Guy Chicago and, while it takes walk-in orders, it is highly recommended that customers order ahead. The restaurant sold out within hours on its first day.

“I am very excited, especially with everyone who helped make this dream possible,” Velez said in Spanish in July according to Book Club Chicago. “This has always been my dream.”

In late August, however, Velez tested positive for coronavirus and was hospitalized in the ICU according to an announcement from business partner Pierre Vega on Instagram.

The restaurant was immediately closed, and all workers were tested while a deep clean was conducted.

This week, the restaurant re-opened after all employees tested negative for the coronavirus, the restaurant confirmed.

Velez, however, remains hospitalized. No official word on his current condition, though Eater reported his condition has stabilized after being on a ventilator.

A second GoFundMe has been created to cover Velez’s medical care by one of the co-owners of Tamale Guy Chicago, Kristin Vega. In 10 days, the fundraiser has raised over $56,000.

Contact Holly Petre at [email protected]

Find her on Twitter: @hollypetre

About the Author

Holly Petre

Assistant Digital Editor

Holly Petre is a digital editor for Nation’s Restaurant News as well as the host of NRN’s podcast, Extra Serving, and producer for Informa Restaurant and Food Group’s other three podcasts, One On One by Food Management, Off the Shelf with SN and In the Kitchen with Bret Thorn. Holly holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in Sculpture, fibers and Material Studies and Ceramics from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. A native New Yorker, Holly enjoys her place on staff as the resident pop-culture expert and millennial with a sassy attitude and great sense of style.

Holly Petre’s work on Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality often covers marketing and trends, either aimed-at or examined-through the millennial mindset. Holly is responsible for introducing TikTok and Twitch to NRN and RH readers as well as explaining terms like “Karen” to staff and readers alike. She also spends her time on staff trying not to make every headline a pun.

Holly Petre hasn’t spoken at any events or on panels, but she is readily available with a killer shoe wardrobe and several witty quips.

 

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