Erich Martin Frisch, 1958–2018
Berkeley native Erich Frisch passed away on March 24, 2018. Our family is shocked and saddened by his passing.
Erich’s passions in life including cooking, painting, music, travel and photography. He loved the ocean. He loved to read. He had a sense of humor that could make anyone laugh.
His career in cooking started with well-known local restaurants including the Shattuck Hotel, Giovanni’s Pizza (he never tired of pizza), Café del Sol and Walkers Pie Shop.
He spent several years living in Tucson, Arizona and became an award-winning second chef/pastry chef at Janos Restaurant.
He returned to Berkeley in the early 1990s. After an industrial injury ended his cooking career, Erich accepted a role in administration at the university. He retired after 24 years in 2017.
Erich combined his love for music and travel with regular voyages on the Rhythm and Blues Cruises. He made several trips to Spain and always dreamed of visiting Japan.
He was a prolific painter and photographer, preferring oil painting and black-and-white photography. His paintings were full of bold and bright colors. They expressed his creativity and imagination.
Erich was preceded in death by his mother, Patricia Gaustad (née Kent), and his father, Joseph Frisch. He is survived by his sisters, Teri Frisch Sallette and Martha Gaustad Linares, his brother, Jonathan Frisch, and his nieces, Lucia Linares Gaustad and Theresa Linares Gaustad. Interment at Sunset View Cemetery was private.
