Wichita community pays tribute to slain Fil-Am chef

Family, friends, and admirers held a memorial service on Thursday to commemorate the life of Filipino-American chef Tanya Tandoc, who was killed in Wichita on June 5.

Local musicians and artists performed for a crowd of 1,200 in the Orpheum Theater, alternating with slideshows of Tandoc's photographs and speeches by her family and friends, the Wichita Eagle wrote.

Evan Gottstine, her stepson from an ex-husband, said Tondoc taught him "unconditional love and patience" while her restaurant managers Sarah Osborn-Bennet and Kelly Rae Leffel said she had hundreds of restaurant-industry "children" in Wichita.

“Once you met her, you never forgot her. Tanya’s essence was love," said Pam Bjork, Tandoc's first employer.

Wichita restaurants also honored the chef by either renaming their dishes for her or earmarking profits or tickets to her family, friends, and restaurant.

Eyewitness News reported that the owner of Tanya's Soup Kitchen was found dead by authorities in the basement of her home during a welfare check last June 5.

Friends of the chef called authorities on June 4 to report that they had been unable to reach her for 24 hours, while others showed concern over her absence at her restaurant.

KAKE News wrote that Curt Mitchell, her roommate, was subsequently arrested on first-degree murder after telling officers that he had "murdered her" in a "crime of passion.

Mitchell mad his first court appearance last June 9 and may be charged sometime this week. -Rie Takumi/NB, GMA News

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