The Executive Chef at SA Cooks is from the Culinary Institute of America - San Antonio

Meet Ruben Martinez, Executive Chef - CIA San Antonio - Certified in 2006

"As an executive chef, you’re responsible for all kitchen operations, including: Menu development, ordering, budgeting, and staff management.

Culinary school was a dream, something I always wanted to do. When I got to the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) I thought, ‘I’m finally living my dream. Now all I have to do is finish it.’ And I did. I started in the foodservice industry as many of us do, flipping burgers at age 16.

For more than 10 years I went from job to job at different restaurants, but I was still doing the same basic thing. I wasn’t advancing my career and I knew I needed an education to get ahead. But I just kept putting it off. A friend jolted me out of my rut. All she did was ask me what I was waiting for. I realized she was right. There was nothing holding me back from my future except myself, so I applied to the CIA, San Antonio the next day.

My entire life changed because of CIA. As soon as I graduated, I got my first job as an executive chef, doing cooking demonstrations at the Stock Show & Rodeo. I became active in the industry and opportunities haven’t stopped coming my way since. I still do cooking demonstrations at big public events and teach smaller cooking classes at Williams-Sonoma.

One of my CIA classmates and I formed a catering business called 'At Your Service…Catering.' Things are going so well with that endeavor that we’re considering opening a café too.

I’ve been asked to speak at high school culinary classes and I love to tell them my story as I give them some cooking tips. When someone says they’d really like to be a chef, I ask them what my friend asked me: ‘What are you waiting for?' One of the best culinary schools in the world is here in San Antonio right down the road. "