Fatal State Street accident sends famous chef to jail

Acclaimed chef Larry Forgione of New York will spend two months in the Santa Barbara County jail in connection with the fatal accident that took the life of 90-year old Santa Barbara resident Gilbert Ramirez last year.

Forgione was convicted by a Santa Barbara Superior Court jury earlier this year in the courtroom of Judge James Herman, and sentenced recently, according to the victim’s son Armando. Forgione was found guilty of involuntary vehicular manslaughter. He was not impaired at the time.

The accident occurred when Ramirez was crossing in a mid block, signalized walk. In court testimony, along with video at the scene showed the light had changed to red for drivers and Ramirez was legally crossing the street. Expert testimony came from Sergeant Ethan Ragsdale with the Santa Barbara Police Department and Derrick Bailey who oversees the city’s traffic light system.

Forgione and his attorney had argued that the light was green for drivers on one side of the street and red for drivers on the other side going the opposite direction. The city said that was not possible, even if the system was broken.

Ramirez was heading to the James Joyce where he danced on Saturday nights. The February 18, 2018 accident left Ramirez badly wounded at the scene. He died later in Santa Barbara’s Cottage Hospital. Forgione remained at the scene and cooperated with authorities.

He will have to serve 60 days in jail with the first day taking place prior to the end of this year. He will also have to do 200 hours of community service and pay $345 in fines. The court also placed Forgione on three years of probation and suspended his driver’s license for three years.

Forgione is 62 years old and has, over his career, been an honored chef and cookbook author. He has won the James Beard Foundation Award for Outstanding Chef.