If you knew Kiko, you already know how much he loved you.

Christmas time in 2022 was very rough for the Rodriguez family as Kiko suffered a tragic accident and passed away unexpectedly.

Kiko and Rico built Federicos over the years with restaurants in several different locations in Fremont and Union City. The brothers shared the legal first name of Federico. If you misspelled the restaurant name with an apostrophe -- Federico's -- the brothers would point out that Federicos is plural, not possessive. Kiko once said, "The restaurant is not OURS. It is US, and WE are Federicos."

During the pandemic, Kiko and Rico worked hard to keep their beloved restaurant alive. For well over a year, they were unable to have guests dine at the restaurant and they relied on to-go orders and catering. Since many people were suffering during COVID-19, they collected donations, and donated their time to provide lunches for front line workers. When they reopened the dining room, they tried to keep prices in line with what the customers could pay even though the costs of food rose steadily. Loyal customers helped keep Federicos afloat, and the brothers sacrificed their savings amid low profit margins.

Now Kiko's family is faced with unexpected final expenses for Kiko, and Kiko's friends are called upon to help as much as we can.

My name is Chuck Kennedy, and I am a friend of Kiko and Rico. I have been their customer since their restaurant near the Union City BART Station, and in their Niles location I have helped them to build their business by preparing their menus and point-of-sale system. I hold the trust of Kiko's family and many of you, his friends, as I step up to request your help at this time. We all know that Kiko would never ask for your help, but we also know that as much as Kiko loved all of us, clearly he was universally loved in return.