50 YEARS OF COMBINED QUALIFIED LEADERSHIP IN HOSPITALITY
Qualified Leader
Born in the U.S. Hector’s parents took him back to Mexico as a small child where he would help his mother cook for her catering business. A love and understanding of food was part of his everyday life.
Trusted Businessman
Hector moved back to the U.S. and at age 15, he was back in the food business. His first job was working in a Jamaican restaurant for an aging Rastafarian. Working his way up from dishwasher to line cook, Hector still remembers the old chef and his approach to his food. “He taught me to love the food like it was a member of your family.”
Fair & Reasonable
Hector wanted to get back into the corporate chef world. But because he didn’t have any “formal” training, ie. a diploma, he was hitting brick walls. What does this man, who has more experience and food knowledge in his little finger than most do in both hands, do next? He enrolls in culinary school at Le Cordon Bleu where upon graduating, he scored a highly coveted internship at the extremely prestigious Lucas Carton in Paris. He trained with internationally known Chef Alain Senderens, one of France’s culinary geniuses credited with the invention of Nouvelle Cuisine.
Upon completion of his internship, Hector returned to Minneapolis where he opened El Meson, a Spanish-Caribbean Bistro. Not long after, the space on 46th and Grand opened up and a few years later, Cafe Ena was born.
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT CHEF HECTOR RUIZ
