The Island’s restaurant community was yesterday thrown into shock by the death of top chef Tomasz Tabor.

Mr Tabor, the chef de cuisine for the Victoria Grill, was killed in a crash shortly before 11.30pm on Wednesday, when his eastbound motorcycle collided with a bus shelter on Crow Lane.

According to police, Mr Tabor lost control of the vehicle. He was taken to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

“It’s hard to believe — we’re all numb,” said Victoria Grill head chef Derek Myers.

“First and foremost, he was a really, really nice guy — you’d never say a bad word about him. Aside from being a good chef, he was a really good guy. That’s the hardest part.”

Mr Tabor, 36, hailed from Texas, and had worked originally as the executive chef at Elbow Beach’s Seahorse Grill before joining the Island Restaurant Group.

Described by colleagues as a pleasure to work with, Mr Tabor was one of the restaurant group’s rising stars.

“We’re coping but it’s tough — I just talked to him yesterday and today he’s gone,” Mr Myers said.

Although the accident occurred on one of the Island’s most notorious danger spots, coworkers were shocked to learn that a crash had claimed the life of a colleague known as a conscientious driver.

“He was the cautious one,” said Mr Myers.

Police have called for witnesses to the accident, or anyone who may have information, to contact Pc Steven Paynter at 295-0011, or spaynter@bps.bm.

The popular US chef was also a keen golfer, Mr Myers added: “Any time we had a tournament, he was always on the team — we would definitely have Tomasz.”

Mr Tabor, a Warwick resident, was in a relationship with Elbow Beach communications director Sophie Dier.

According to a colleague, Mr Tabor was “very loving, always happy and smiling — always trying to make you laugh during work” and played an integral part in a very close team.

“They will be devastated at the Victoria Grill,” the co-worker said.

Ascot’s Restaurant proprietor Eddie Smith, a board member of the Chefs Association of Bermuda, described the tragedy as “a shock to our community”.

“Tomasz was a very talented fellow, no doubt — anyone out there who knew him would attest to that,” Mr Smith said. “We always ended up talking about food; he was passionate about it.

“He loved fusion type cuisine — he was very creative, loved the new trends. He was very respected indeed within the chef community.”

Mr Tabor’s death marks the Island’s fourth road fatality of 2014.

Tourism and Transport Minister Shawn Crockwell offered condolences to Mr Tabor’s friends and family on behalf of the Government and people of Bermuda.

“While it is too early to comment on the cause of this tragic death, I urge all Bermuda residents to slow down and drive with care and caution. The tragic loss of life on our roads year after year simply cannot continue.”