Whether it involves turkeys at Thanksgiving or his aunt Rosie’s Puerto Rican recipes, Jonathan Ruiz loves sharing.
Jonathan Ruiz of Bellefontaine holds a plate of his dish arroz blanco con camarones guisado (stewed shrimp with white rice). The local cocinero will share his aunt Rosie’s traditional Puerto Rican recipes with the public during a pop-up restaurant event at the Marketplace Café on the evening of Friday, July 14. The proceeds help with Ruiz’s personal community outreach projects, such as providing turkeys to the needy for Thanksgiving. (EXAMINER PHOTO | REUBEN MEES)
“I just like doing stuff for people,” Ruiz said. “I come from nothing, but a lot has been done for me to help me get where I’m at today. I want to give back.”
So with that spirit in his heart, the local cocinero (which is Spanish for chef) is hoping he can use a pop-up restaurant to help fund his charitable projects.
Naturally, the restaurant, called Rosie’s Tropical Grill, will feature the Puerto Rican cuisine passed down to him by his aunt Rosie Garcia and other family members, who are natives of the island. The restaurant will be a one-day only operation from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, July 14, at the Marketplace Café, 130 S. Main St.
He will offer three main courses — arroz con habichuelas rojas y pollo guisado con papa (Red beans, stewed chicken and potatoes) for $10; arroz con gandules y pernil (pigeon peas and roasted pork) for $12; and arroz blanco con camarones guisado (stewed shrimp) for $14. The dishes are served traditional style over rice with a side of fresh aguacate (avocado) and the shrimp dish comes with the traditional Puerto Rican side of fried plantains called tostones. Flan will be served for dessert with preorder dishes.
Having grown up in the Bronx, N.Y., and Orlando, Fla., working largely as a cook in pizzerias and other restaurants, Ruiz, 34, moved to Bellefontaine about seven years ago with the idea of opening a pizzeria in this town. He was discouraged by the large number of pizza restaurants already in town and the imminent opening of the 600 Downtown pizzeria.
“I knew it was a small town and I liked that, but I didn’t know how many pizza shops you would have here,” he said with a hearty laugh. So he took jobs working as a cook in existing local restaurants, a modest job he continues to work today.
About three years ago, however, he reconnected with his aunt Rosie, who has spent the past 17 years operating the Puerto Rican Home social club and restaurant in Lorain.
“I saw how she ran it and I tasted how great the food was and I thought if she could do it, I could do something like it,” Ruiz said.He originally planned to call his concept Nano’s, which is his nickname, but thought naming after his aunt had a comforting ring to it.
Read complete story in Saturday’s Examiner.
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