‘Ryan’s Lounge’ coffee truck to open in memory of Ryan Konkin

Ryan Konkin, 37, was killed in an explosion at a hazardous waste facility in St. Catharines on Jan. 12, 2023. His fiancé, Natalia Sepulveda-Lastra has followed through with their dreams of opening a food truck. With help from the community, she will be opening “Ryan’s Lounge” this Saturday in St. Catharines.

READ MORE: Man dies after explosion, fire at St. Catharines waste facility: police

Sepulveda-Lastra said “…this was both Ryan and I’s dream, we shared that in common. To be able to just make him proud, if he’s watching, I’m happy that really we’re able to provide this for the community we talked about it so much.”

The couple talked about owning a food truck the first night they met on Sunset Beach, “…we shared that we always wanted a little food business of our own.”

A GoFundMe page in his name raised $18,000 and helped her finish the coffee trailer they bought before his death.

“I absolutely would not have been able to do this all on my own. The community helped me when I was at my weakest point, they lifted me up and they helped me finish this.”

READ MORE: Family of man who died in St. Catharines explosion speaks to CHCH News

The grand opening of Ryan’s Lounge will officially open outside F1NE Cannabis at 5 Peacock Bay Saturday, June 3.

When the owners of F1NE Cannabis heard about Ryan’s story, they wanted to help, “when we heard that Natalia and Ryan had been starting to make a coffee truck and they just hadn’t found a location yet, we thought what a perfect opportunity for both of us to support someone who just lost their best friend and fiancé and partner for life.”

“There have been many days where I can focus on this, but it’s also as self-preservation. I lost my best friend…” Sepulveda-Lastra said.

READ MORE: St. Catharines discusses health, environmental concerns after explosion