With the Sugar Land Wine & Food Affair just around the corner — it kicks off Thursday, April 6, and runs through Sunday, April 9 — some of America’s most celebrated chefs and sommeliers are coming to sprawling, diverse Houston to showcase their work and discover what the city has to offer. We talked with a couple of them to get a better understanding of their inspirations, work lives and journeys to success.
Fernando Ruiz is the executive chef of Santacafé in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and was recently the winner of Food Network’s Guy’s Grocery Games and Chopped. He plans on participating in more Food Network shows and sharing more about his transformative story of living in a gang before eventually finding redemption through cooking.
Tell us about how food “saved your life.” How did your time in prison influence you to pursue culinary school after release?
If I had never watched my mom and grandma cook, I might never have pursued it myself. When I was in jail, I worked in kitchens. That was my outlet. It was something that came naturally to me, and I liked it and figured that I was pretty good at it. Food saved my life by helping me get get out of the gang. I put myself there, but cooking was my outlet.
When did you know that you wanted to become a chef?
There was a moment, about 12 years ago, when it all clicked. It was during a wine dinner with an executive chef mentor. I thought, “Now I totally get it.” Everything made sense. It just kind of all fell together in one moment in time.
Looking at all the things that have drawn you — the priesthood, gang life and cooking —how have these things shaped your identity?
Growing up, I always wanted to be a priest. I remember seeing Pope John Paul II. But then I started getting into trouble. I started making money the easy and fast way — guns, cars, gold, women. I don’t regret any of it, because I’m glad that I did it young rather than later on. I grew up too fast and put my parents through hell, but now they’re proud. My mother says, “Now I can die in peace.” I don’t go to church anymore. My faith is in my kids.
If you could describe yourself with one dish, what would it be?
The first thing that pops into my head is menudo, a stew made from beef stomach and hominy, and it’s really, really good. It’s an acquired taste, a traditional Mexican dish. We didn’t grow up super poor, but that’s a poor man’s dish. It comes from what people would normally throw away … kind of like the way I threw myself away at one point. It’s also apparently a good hangover cure.
What were some of the obstacles in your journey to becoming a chef? The biggest obstacle for me was getting rid of drugs one day at a time. I had to get away from Arizona, where I grew up. I wasn’t the father I should have been to my older three kids, but now I have three younger ones and I am the father I should be. I like where I’m at now. Nowadays, sometimes I try to do too much for other people instead of taking care of myself.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to become a chef?
Go ahead and do it. Be prepared to work 12-hour days, six to seven days a week and during holidays. You’ll see your co-workers more than your family. I’ve seen it happen, and it’s kind of happening to me. I’m at the point in my life where I’m trying to figure out the balance between work and family. I’m just pushing, pushing and pushing, doing what I need to do. I only see my kids about two and a half hours a day, but I’m trying to change that. There’s a ton of sacrifice, and hopefully that’s all for something in the end.
What food or restaurant do you look forward to trying in Houston?
I’ve heard that Houston is a big city and that there’s a lot of food and different cultures. I just want to try something different. As chefs, we get in a rut and feel like we’re doing the same food, so I’m excited to get new concepts from watching other chefs. I would also totally hit up the street food in Houston.
Ferrell Alvarez has honed his craft for the past 23 years, beginning in Cincinnati, Ohio, and then moving to Tampa, Florida, where he worked for general manager Ty Rodriguez of Mise en Place. The two of them later opened their own concept Rooster & the Till, which has received awards for Best New Restaurant and Best Chef by Creative Loafing and earned a Golden Spoon from Florida Trend. Alvarez recently received a nomination for Best Chef South by the James Beard Foundation.
How do you keep yourself motivated when you’ve reached a certain level of success as a chef, such as receiving the James Beard nomination?
As a chef, I am always pursuing perfection with the belief that nothing is ever perfect. Regardless of any awards, the desire to always do better is instilled in me. No award puts that to rest. I use that to keep the pursuit of the “next best thing.”
Working in restaurants in two very different cities, Cincinnati and Tampa, what did you learn about regional cuisine?
When I was learning how to cook in Cincinnati I was extremely young (15 to 19 years old). I was just learning the ropes there and wasn’t focusing on cuisine per se, but more so on how to survive in a professional kitchen. It was when I moved back to Florida and later began to work for Marty Blitz that my eyes were opened to regional cuisine. He has the most in-depth knowledge of all cuisines. It’s one of his many gifts, and I tried to absorb as much as I could of that. I learned there and then that there were no boundaries and food is what you dream up. No limits.
When you’re not in the kitchen what are you doing?
I’m in my main office next door to the Rooster working on planning events, new menu items, opening our second concept and anything else that needs to be handled at the restaurant. When I finally get away from that, I try to spend as much time as possible with my wife Nicole and daughter Eva. When they go to bed, I open my laptop back up and start working again. Average input results in average output, and I’m not satisfied with being average.
If you could describe yourself with one dish, what would it be?
I can’t because I’m all over the map. It’s not that I’m unorganized or unfocused, but I have my hands in so many things that no one dish can describe me.
What restaurant or cuisine do you look forward to trying in Houston?
I’m very excited to try as many as possible. I’m actually bringing my wife along and staying a couple days extra so we can cram as many restaurants in as possible. We wish we had more time, but we have our eyes on trying Caracol, Coltivare Pizza & Garden, Étoile, Hugo’s, Paulie’s, Pax Americana, Underbelly, Riel. I can keep going. If you have the hook-up at any of these spots please put me on.
Rodil serves as beverage director of McGuire Moorman Hospitality’s seven restaurants in Austin and just recently opened her own concept called June’s, which showcases her favorite Champagne and sparkling wines. She also passed the Court of Master Sommelier’s difficult test in 2015 to become a Master Sommelier. She stands as only the seventh M.S. in Texas and the 23rd woman to achieve that title in the United States.
How has the women-and-wine scene in Texas changed over the years? The wine industry has been pushed into the public eye more than ever before due to more wine drinkers in general and the celebrity status of restaurateurs, chefs and other front-of-house members like the sommelier. The industry is booming and needs more people involved. Additionally, Texas has become the third largest market in the United States (second to California and New York). We are getting more wines and more high-status winemakers into the state. Importers see huge growth potential in the many Texas markets (the main ones being Houston, Dallas Austin, and San Antonio). Exposure of the industry has increased the presence of women as well. They’re leaping into all aspects of the industry: restaurants, distributor, importing and even winemaking.
What qualities does one need to reach the high level of skill of a master sommelier?
You dedicate long hours outside of your normal work schedule (think of studying for an LSAT or the MCAT). So you also need time management skills to prioritize and balance your life while making room for personal enjoyment, too, like sleep, exercise and eating well. And this might sound banal, but know thyself. When you are trying to master blind tasting, you are the only person that can get to the proper deductive method to get to the correct wine, which comes from experience, learning and knowing your palate. Also, I have never met an MS who is not competitive in life. Instead of just a cup of coffee in the morning, we have to have a doppio espresso. We don’t just like jazz, we have the entire Blue Note collection of Thelonius Monk recordings. We like to win. Lastly, we need to remember it’s just wine. Our jobs are to make people happy (aka tipsy) with the best beverage on the planet! We’re lucky and we should laugh and not take ourselves too seriously.
How did you recognize your passion for wine?
After many years on the academic route I realized that the best part of my day was going to work and picking out the pairings for the chef’s tasting menu. Someone once told me to figure out a way to make your hobby your job. So I did. I was on my way to law school, and the only reason why was to (seemingly) afford my food and wine addiction. Being competitive and on the academic track, it felt natural to pursue the highest level of mastery in my new chosen field. It makes a lot of sense now. I was pretty self-conscious of saying, “I’m going be a sommelier.” No kid grows up saying that. At the time there was a stigma against waiters and servers as being students, artists or actors who tried to make money to pay bills, but their passion was elsewhere. The Court of Master Sommeliers provided an avenue to showcase how serious, dedicated and passionate I was (and am) about the industry, especially to those who are not in it.
For your new restaurant concept June’s, how did you decide to focus on Champagne and sparkling wines?
Well, it’s my favorite! Easy choice. Champagne is still very much considered to be a celebratory drink, which saddens me because it’s such an amazing beverage for food pairings. It’s much more complex, age-able and regal than many give it credit for. Happy hour is huge in Austin and always a cause for day-to-day celebration — it’s about the little victories: I made it through the day, I got out of work before traffic became horrible, I finished my deadline, I got a badass parking space — so with June’s, we decided to embrace its celebratory nature and have a big happy hour with half-off all sparkling wines by-the-glass and by-the-bottle and all food seven days a week 4pm to 6pm (*sidenote: half off sparkling all night on Monday).
If you could describe yourself as a wine, what would it be?
Mosel Riesling — sometimes sweet, sometimes dry, sometimes challenging for people to understand. But once you get to know it, you realize you can take it in pretty large doses.
Get tickets to see these food and drink folks work their magic and talents here. Click here for a full schedule of the weekend’s events. There will be tastings, demonstrations, lessons and more.