Cesar Rey
Server | Tavern on the Green
Our union mournfully announces the passing of lifelong member Cesar Rey. Cesar joined our union in 1991, when he started working as a Server at Tavern on the Green.
"Cesar started at Tavern on the Green right after we had brought the restaurant into the union and won a big strike there," said Santos Alcivar Muentes, a waiter at the restaurant who worked alongside Cesar. "Cesar was a great person, reliable and hardworking. I have only good memories of him, and was sad to hear of his passing."
Cesar was a perfectionist in his craft and took immense pride in his work. Over the course of his career, he worked at many union restaurants and bars across the City. "I had the pleasure of working with Cesar at the Thompson Central Park. Besides being an excellent colleague, he was a great friend," said Cesar's coworker, Roseann Moran. "Working with Cesar was always an adventure. Words cannot describe how wonderful it was to have him in our lives. Primo, we will always remember you."
Born and raised in New York, Cesar was a Yankees fan. Cesar also had a creative, musical side to him.
He was known for being the life of the party (the salsa and merengue being his go-to dances). Cesar was absorbed into the '80s culture and its breakdancing, graffiti-style art, and disco. He worked for some time as a DJ, and even decorated his home as a disco.
Cesar is survived by his two daughters, Melissa and Ju-lissa, and five siblings who miss him dearly. For those who knew and loved Cesar, their memories of him are vivid and the love they shared runs deep. "Cesar always knew what he wanted - he was confident and strong. At the same time, he was a loving, down-to-earth person who kept us all close," said Cesar's sister, Angie, "I can still hear his voice."
"Cesar was a family man who deciphered that the secret to life is loving - and he practiced it," said Cesar's sister, Katiuska Rey. "A month before he passed, Cesar attended his grandmother's centennial birthday, where he expressed his gratitude and happiness for the blessing of her raising him."