Popular Merced restaurant owner dies at 44

Florencio Aguilar, a prominent Merced County restaurateur, has died at the age of 44.

Aguilar, the owner of two popular Merced restaurants, La Morenita and Florencio’s, was found dead by family members around 4:30 p.m. Wednesday at his home on Carob Court in Delhi, the Merced County Coroner’s Office said.

The cause of death was under investigation Thursday.

Sgt. Delray Shelton said it was too early to comment on any potential causes of death, but confirmed the case is not considered a homicide.

“The Coroner’s Office investigates all deaths in Merced County as a matter of policy,” Shelton said in a telephone interview.

Aguilar got his start in the restaurant business at La Morenita in Ceres as a waiter, working for businesswoman Lupe Cordoba, who owned many restaurants with the same name in various locations. Cordoba’s success perhaps is most notable for the meal she prepared for President Bill Clinton’s inauguration. Her business tripled after that.

Cordoba, in her late 70s, said Aguilar was a hard worker and learned to do everything in the restaurant quickly, soon becoming a manager at the restaurant. Eventually, Aguilar began renting La Morenita in Merced. After a long and complicated process, Aguilar became the sole owner of the Merced restaurant in January, Cordoba said.

“He was an excellent person,” Cordoba said in Spanish. “Hardworking, honest, responsible – these are the three things he had.”

Cordoba taught Aguilar the La Morenita recipes: “He had an incredible memory. He learned everything very quickly.”

Aguilar opened an additional restaurant, Florencio’s Mexican Restaurant on Yosemite Avenue, about eight years ago.

Angel Craycraft is the manager at Port of Subs, a sandwich shop next door to Florencio’s.

“It came completely out of the blue. It was completely unexpected,” Craycraft said Thursday. She and her family were regulars at Florencio’s.

“It had good service, the food was always great and he was always nice,” Craycraft said. “He was really sweet, a really nice guy. He cared about his business a lot and his workers all seemed to love working there. It’s a shame.”

Cordoba, who knew Aguilar since he was a young man, said he always wanted to help his parents and cared for his nephews like a father. Aguilar was unmarried and had no children, she said.

“He was so young. Why did he have to leave this world?” Cordoba said. “For me, it’s such a hard loss.”

This story was originally published April 7, 2016 at 3:22 PM with the headline "Popular Merced restaurant owner dies at 44."