Gary Wayne Flood

1957 - 2008

Gary Wayne Flood, a master sushi chef, former restaurant owner and one of the early practitioners of using fresh local ingredients to forge a new indigenous cuisine, was killed July 17 after being hit by a vehicle while crossing the street. Whether it was with his food, his music or his laugh that echoed across the boundaries of race, generation or geography, Gary touched the lives of many with a lyric wit that balanced wisdom and humor as gracefully as he used to ride the unicycle he mastered when he was eight. Gary Wayne's passion for cooking and love of food began as a child, and as he wrote in a forthcoming book: The gifts I received from my father on the Barbeque and my mother in the garden are still the backbone of my approach to food. Gary was born and raised in the Compton/Gardena area and he was active in the Gardena YMCA, first, as a participant in the sports clubs and later as a Camp Counselor. He also enjoyed playing drums, and was a key member in the drum section of the Los Caballeros Marching Band. After graduating from Gardena High he attended California State University, Sonoma and later transferred to University of Santa Cruz where he studied philosophy and classics. Left behind to celebrate his life and mourn his loss are his son, Benjamin; daughter, Madeline; and their mother, Christine McCormick. Also mourning his loss but grateful for his life are his mother, Virginia Nadine Flood; his brothers, Reginald and Kenneth; his sister-in-law, Carol Wheeler-Flood; his niece and nephew, Ginny Flood and Lucas Flood; and his dear friend, Sharon Rutledge. The service to celebrate his life will be Saturday, August 2, 11 a.m. at Pacific Gardens Chapel on Cayuga Street in Santa Cruz, California. Please sign the guest book at www.dailybreeze.com/obits.