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Doreen Morgan recalls coming to Henry's Tacos for half a century. Nery Lemus has come to the gringo taco stand in Studio City all his life—all 18 years.
(See the videos of some of the testimonials of Henry's—and add your own!)
Morgan, 53, who lives in Sherman Oaks, recalls coming to the taco stand with her grandfather, and meeting the owner's grandfather, who started the business. She came out on Sunday when comedian George Lopez paid for free tacos for an hour and to show her support for owner Janis Hood, who has become a close friend. (See the video above.)
"Now I come with my son," said Morgan, who joked about having carved her initials on all of the tables in front of Henry's. "It will be very sad when this closes."
Nery Lemus, 18, has come to the taco stand his whole life. His father worked late and Henry's was where they went as a family. (See video.)
Dani Mozelski said she came to Henry's because she was obsessed with actor Aaron Paul and wanted his autograph. "He was saying how great this place is, I'm new in town and I came down here to check it out, and it's great," said Mozelski, who had some chili.
Breaking Bad, became close friends with Hood after years of coming to the taco stand. "It would be a travesty if this closes," he said, hugging the embarrassed restaurant owner.
Eric Lau came from Santa Monica with a few photographs of the Breaking Bad cast and said, "I had been here before, but it's great that Aaron Paul has been speaking up for it over Twitter, and that's why I came. He was very nice."
Many celebrities have spoken out and given their own testimonials about Henry's. Click here for actor Elijah Wood's video.
Brett Gelman, from Go On and Eagleheart, stood up on a car in front of a crowd of more than 500 people on Sunday afternoon and said, "Let's help small businesses. We need to keep places like this in Los Angeles. Don't let the pigs win. I'm grateful that you came out to help support this historic place."
Actors Moshe Kasher, a regular on Chelsea Lately and Chelsea Peretti from The Couples and Parks and Recreation, also came to show support. Stand-up comic Natasha Leggero was going to perform, but it was raining and the crowd seemed more interested in milling around.
Disc jockey Chris Holmes said, "We are all going to miss this place. We don't want it to go."
Over the years of his coming out to the stand, Kelly Page became friends with Hood's mother. He brought his daughter Lindsey to have a taco one last time.
"We live in Laverne now, but it's worth the trip," Page said.
A schizophrenic man at the gas station across the street was creating some trouble, and when Page went out to help, he was swept up by the police, too. Hood's mother, who saw the whole thing, helped Page get out of trouble.
"In a way, you can say my father was saved by this place," Lindsey said.
Jaime Sanchez said he saw on Studio City Patch that George Lopez was providing free tacos.
"I met George Lopez before at the fireworks in Studio City on the Fourth of July, and he's very involved in helping the little guy and being part of the community," Sanchez said. "I don't mind standing in line for an hour-and-a-half. Thank you George!"
Rick Carl (see video), who used to live in Studio City, said he loved coming to Henry's many times.
"I appreciate the history of the place," Carl said. "We need to keep places like this."
Carl said he knew about some of the movies that have been shot on the premises and was sitting on the table that Chris Pine sat at while filming People Like Us. "I love Henry's Tacos. I hope it lasts forever."
Justin Bolois, 24, of Sherman Oaks, said he had been coming to the stand for 15 years.
"I remember coming here and walking with my friend from Walter Reed [Middle School] down the block, and it was our ritual," Bolois said. "We'd come down here for the taco burger. It was so appealing. You can see how losing this place affects the community. Look at this crowd."
"I've gone out and studied regional Mexican cuisine," he said, "but I always came back to my gringo taco roots."
Henry's Tacos was closed on Monday, as Hood gave her overworked staff a day off. But the stand will be open again on Tuesday. Hood said she plans on being open on Sundays until the end of the year.
"If my grandfather would have seen this kind of support by the community," she said, "he would have been very happy."
Also see:
* Exclusive: Henry’s Tacos Owner on Calling It Quits
* Henry's Tacos: A History in Photos and Video
* Henry's Tacos: What's Your Reaction?
* Celebrities Join Campaign to Save Henry's Tacos
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• For Everything About Henry's Tacos CLICK HERE!
