A Statement on the Bite of Seattle Tragedy

On the evening of Sunday, July 26, 2026, gunfire broke out at Bite of Seattle, the annual food festival held at Seattle Center. Three members of our community lost their lives. Several others, including a young child, were injured. This happened at an event meant to bring Seattle together over something as simple and joyful as food — the same spirit that brings people through our own doors every day.

We are a small restaurant in the University District, and we do not have any special standing to speak on an active investigation, nor is that our place. What we can do is say plainly that we are heartbroken for the families who lost someone, for everyone who was hurt, and for everyone who was at Seattle Center that evening and will carry what they witnessed for a long time. We are also deeply grateful to the first responders, medical staff, and Seattle Center personnel who acted quickly that night.

This post exists for one reason: to point people toward verified ways to help the families affected, and to name a number of local, independent Seattle-area businesses who were part of this year's festival and could use the community's support right now. We have tried to verify everything below as carefully as we can, and we will update this page if any information changes.

In Memory

Three people lost their lives on July 26: Ashley Whitehead, 56, Carlos Israel Sanchez Villalba, 44, and Junior Cee Niko Semo, 19. Ms. Whitehead had recently moved to the West Coast to be closer to her daughter and was, by every account we have read, deeply loved for her warmth and devotion to her family. Mr. Villalba was described by loved ones as a devoted husband, a father of three, and a friend who would do anything for anyone. Our condolences go out to their families, and to everyone who was hurt or present that night.

This remains an active investigation, and we are not in a position to add anything to what law enforcement has stated publicly. We will leave those details to the Seattle Police Department and the reporting of established local news outlets.

Verified Ways to Help

GoFundMe campaigns have been set up by family members for two of the victims. We have linked directly to the fundraisers themselves below, sourced from local news coverage, so you can read the full story in the family's own words before giving.

If you are looking for a way to help beyond these two fundraisers, the City of Seattle and King County have also stood up general support resources for anyone affected by the shooting, whether they were physically hurt, witnessed it, or are a family member of someone who was there.

Support the Local Businesses at This Year's Bite

Bite of Seattle brings in hundreds of vendors from across the region, but a number of independent, Seattle-area local businesses were part of this year's lineup — the kind of small operations that depend on events like this for visibility and revenue. In the wake of this tragedy, we'd encourage anyone in the area to consider ordering from, visiting, or simply following these businesses. Below is a list we've done our best to verify against local coverage of this year's festival, with a direct link to each business's location on Google Maps where they have one, or their website/social page where they operate as a mobile or catering-only business.

A note on why this list is shorter than the festival's overall vendor count: local reporting from FOX 13 Seattle found that a number of Seattle-area independent restaurants sat out this year's Bite entirely, citing steep new sales-commission terms and required point-of-sale systems imposed by this year's outside event operator. Many of the 300-plus booths at this year's festival were filled instead by traveling festival-circuit vendors from outside the state. We think that context is worth knowing — it's part of why we'd encourage extra support for the local, independent names above, and why we'd point you toward your neighborhood spots even when there isn't a festival happening at all.

Bite of Seattle organizers released their own statement following the shooting: “We are devastated by the tragic incident that took place Sunday evening, during which an act of violence took the lives of members of the Seattle community. Together we mourn the victims and extend our deepest condolences to their families and all those affected.” We share in that sentiment, and in the hope that this community continues to show up for each other in the way it always has.