Authorities say 36-year-old Valentin Garciagaona was working as part of his landscaping company when he lost his footing and fell into the water in Big Timber Creek.
It prompted an hours-long search that ultimately ended when crews found his body.
"I can't believe this happened," said Lipi Bhatt, the owner of Deli Stop Food Market in Westville. "I couldn't sleep the whole night. We lost a very good friend. I hope he rests in peace."
Bhatt says their working relationship and friendship span more than 13 years. He was one of her first employees at the Deli Stop.
"He was happy. He was just a very hard-working guy," said Bhatt. "He was a good cook. People in the town loved his food, his way of cooking."
Since then, the beloved chef and entrepreneur has expanded, opening his own pizza shop, Buon Sapore, in Woodbury and his own landscaping business, Around the Corner Lawn Service.
Jennifer Roman says she briefly worked for Garciagaona.
"He was good people. He was like family to us," said Roman. "He just texted me like five days ago, which is pretty weird. It's sad. He asked me to come for a job, come work for him."
His unexpected death is hitting the community hard.
On Thursday, his pizza shop, Buon Sapore, was closed as employees mourned his death.
Valentin leaves behind a wife and two young daughters.