Alfredo Frias, owner of Boca Chica restaurant and one of the founders of the Cinco de Mayo festival held annually on St. Paul’s West Side, died Friday at age 63.

The cause was heart complications, according to his family.

Frias, whose nickname was Freddie, is credited with bringing Boca Chica into a new era when he began to play a major role in the St. Paul restaurant his late parents, Guillermo and Gloria Frias, founded.

“My dad really took a backseat to his parents as far as recognition went. Everyone knew Guillermo and Gloria as the ones running the business up until they passed,” said Alfredo’s son, Jose Frias. “He was the majority owner for a long time, but he would say, ‘No, my parents own it.’ He truly is the reason why Boca Chica is what it is today. It was his business mind and vision on culture that brought the continued success of the restaurant.”

Alfredo Frias is known not only for running the popular Mexican restaurant on Cesar Chavez Street, but also for using it as a way to educate the greater community about Mexican history and culture.

“My pops was an educator of sorts. He knew a lot about Mexico and Mexican history, having spent a lot of time in Mexico as a child and teenager,” said Jose Frias.

Frias said his father brought Mexican culture and history to the restaurant in the late 1980s and early ’90s by adding traditional Mexican dishes to the menu that were not common in the Twin Cities, such as carnitas, chile rellenos, sopas and mole.

Alfredo Frias continued cultural enhancements through the visual arts. He hired a muralist to paint six murals inside the restaurant and another outside. To this day, the murals are used as educational tools for community members, including local school groups.

“Each mural tells a different story of Mexico’s history. Those murals you can find in Mexico City to this day, in different variations,” Jose said. “When customers would come in, my dad would explain to them what the murals meant. School groups would come in here and my dad would give a presentation of the history, food and the culture of Mexico.”

Alfredo Frias played a large role in the greater community, too. He was one of the original members who organized, in the early 1980s, the first Cinco de Mayo celebration on St. Paul’s West Side. In the early 2000s, Frias spearheaded El Grito celebrations locally. Celebrated on or around Sept. 15, the observance marks the 1810 event that led to Mexico’s independence from Spain 11 years later. El Grito is widely celebrated each year in Mexico.

Outside of the restaurant, friends and family members recall Alfredo Frias as a man who had a love for ice cream as well as playing tennis, golf and guitar. He was also a man of deep faith and was devoted to his family.

“He didn’t miss anything. He made it to anyone of us kids’ events. It didn’t matter. He would always make it,” said Jose. “He was truly the leader of our family.”

Alfredo’s parents, Guillermo and Gloria Frias, opened Boca Chica in March 1964. Guillermo died in 2004, Gloria in 2015.

Boca Chica will continue to be a family-run establishment. Along with Alfredo Frias, who ran the administrative and bookkeeping side of the business, the main operators of Boca Chica have been Alfredo’s sister Cristela Koski-Frias, and Frias’ son Jose Frias and daughter Jesie Frias. Related Articles St. Paul district reports enrollment drop as pandemic moves school online

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In addition to his children Jesie and Jose and sister Cristela, Alfredo Frias is survived by his son Javier; nine grandchildren; and siblings Steve and Eddie.

A visitation is set for 4 to 7 p.m. Sunday, April 29, at Willwerscheid Funeral Home (1167 Grand Ave.). A Mass of Christian burial will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, April 30, at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church (401 Concord St., St. Paul) followed by burial at Resurrection Cemetery in Mendota Heights.