Interview by Angel Contero
Article by Jeremiah Sosa

A once culinary dream influenced by his Mexican father and Italian mother, is now a reality as San Antonio-raised Antonio Ruiz is set to appear on the newest season of Hell’s Kitchen with Gordon Ramsay.
The young chef gained his passion for culinary arts at an early age, which led him to attend Brennan High School, where they offer a top-notch culinary program.
“It’s legitimately probably one of the nicest kitchens I’ve still worked in,” said Ruiz.
Learning culinary arts in a professional level kitchen like Brennan’s was a springboard for Ruiz’s career in the culinary business.
After graduating from Brennan, Ruiz worked as a catering chef at H-E-B Central Market where he first got the taste of working with high profile celebrities, serving as the personal breakfast cook for the San Antonio Spurs.
After a five month stint in Kapalua, Maui in 2015 working as a line cook at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Ruiz returned back to the city of San Antonio where he continued working at Central Market.
Since then, Ruiz has served as the Executive Chef at a handful of south Texas restaurants and hotels.
Ruiz’s superb cuisine throughout his early career was noticed by Ramsay, and he was casted for season 20 of his show called “Hell’s Kitchen: Young Guns,” which is going to be featuring chefs under the age of 23.
Ruiz revealed that he has felt the heat from Ramsay, saying, “Gordon definitely does not hold back on the yelling.”
Ruiz said he brings some San Antonio flavors to the show saying, “ I definitely will embrace my Latino side… there’s something about onions, garlic, tomato, cumin and that base of everything.”
You can catch Chef Ruiz on Season 20 of Hell’s Kitchen, which airs weekly this month at 7 p.m. on FOX.