Colorful restaurant owner who helped ‘make downtown Ocean Springs what it is today’ dies
His family asked those who attended Thursday’s funeral for Arturo Barajas to wear colors instead of black, for a man who lived his life in full color.
His story has all the makings of a great novel, one of determination, struggle and triumph. Gathered at his funeral were business people, athletes, community leaders and musicians.
“Only he could bring people like that together,” said Kimberly Nastasi with Ingalls Shipbuilding.
“I have been living a happy life,” Barajas said in a final interview before he died Jan. 19 at age 42. This, despite four years of battling cancer and hoping for a cure.
Optimism was his way.
“Arturo has always been the man with the million-dollar smile, heart of gold, boundless creativity and nonstop energy,” said Mary Cracchiolo Spain with MGM Resorts and Beau Rivage Resort & Casino. “What a joy to be around.”
Barajas arrived in South Mississippi as an exchange student while attending Pan American University, “alone and not speaking English,” said Elaine Stevens, Coast writer, producer and public relations representative, who wrote his story.
“No one was waiting for me at the Gulfport airport when I landed,” Barajas told her. “I figured out the signs and saw a Casino Magic limo headed to Bay St. Louis. I convinced the driver to drop me at the Biloxi Casino Magic.”
He carried a suitcase filled with books on learning to speak English and hotel and restaurant administration. “On my first day, I did not eat at all. I was too embarrassed to ask my casino guide to stop for food,” he said.
He worked double shifts in housekeeping from 7 a.m. to midnight, studying the manuals of all the casino departments while he cleaned, Stevens said. He returned to Mexico to graduate with honors.
Back on the Coast
He came back to the United States and worked in the casino and restaurant business before losing his job when Hurricane Katrina hit.
Instead of feeling sorry for himself, he opened Mosaic Tapas restaurant in Ocean Springs as a place for people to forget about their losses for awhile, he told Stevens. This year is the restaurant’s 10th anniversary. He added Señor Lopez Burrito Cafe and The Beer House American Pub in the same plaza.
“He was always out there on the edge looking for things people didn’t have before,” said Julian Brunt, who reports on food for the Sun Herald. Barajas was the first to offer a large variety of beers in Ocean Springs, Brunt said, and followed it with music.
“It’s a real loss for Ocean Springs and the culinary community,” he said.
Barajas embraced the community, founding and organizing Mayfest Music Festival of Art & Crafts in Ocean Springs, publishing tourism guides and PlayTheCoast.com. He took leadership positions with the Coast Chamber and several other organizations.
He met and married Rachel Hancock, and together they were parents to Crystal Garcia and Bruno Baraja. Together they fought cancer.
Barajas described that struggle with cancer in his blog, the side effects of his chemotherapy, the pain, the expense. He beat colon cancer only to have it return in the same spot a year later. He told about his search for a cure, both in Mexico and the United States, trying natural medicine, special diets and new treatments.
“The chemo is very strong and the treatment is very painful,” he wrote in his last post in 2019. He hoped to raise enough money for more and better treatments, and his friends organized a fundraising event and GoFundMe account.
“Cancer is a rich people’s disease, sad to say,” was the end of his final post.
How the story ends
About a month before he died, Jaimee Dorris, who worked with him on several other projects, interviewed Barajas for her MS Congeniality TV.
“This is the most important interview I’ve ever done,” she said.
Barajas talked about his life and career and he said, “I have great friends from all over the world.”
When she asked what he wanted for Christmas, Barajas began to cry and said, “All I want is healing. That’s all I want.” His wish wasn’t just for himself, he said, but for everyone who he believed should have access to treatment.
“Not just the ones who have money, you know,” he said.
“Arturo leaves an incredible legacy of a life well-lived,” Ben Hunter from Gulf Coast Business Council said in his eulogy to his friend Thursday. “His impact on the people of Coastal Mississippi, and especially Ocean Springs, will live on far longer than us.
“From Mayfest, to Leadership Gulf Coast, to the Hotel and Restaurant Association, multiple chambers, and countless charities — he gave back ten-fold. He was a huge part of the catalyst that made downtown Ocean Springs what it is today.”
Like his restaurant, his life was indeed a mosaic, Nastasi said. She called him “a trailblazer, a true servant leader who had an infectious passion for life.”
He saw the good in people, gave back tirelessly, was a hard worker and believed in family and community, she said. “He was a friend to many and his legacy will forever live on.”
