Today we’d like to introduce you to Patty Ruiz.
Patty, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My love for food started as a little girl, watching my dad bring the family together while he was in the kitchen, apron on, holding an over-sized carving fork in one hand and a scotch on the rocks in the other. These priceless moments made me fall in love with food and what it can do for others.
As a mom of four, wife, teacher and chef, I have been fortunate to witness how food not only brings people together but also empowers them to do good for others. Cooking shouldn’t be scary, and once you realize this, a whole new world opens up right before your eyes.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Ha, not at all! Growing up, I always had two huge dreams; being a mom and to go to culinary school (I was secretly obsessed with Martha Stewart and all I wanted to do was to cook and host dinner parties).
I chose the path to motherhood as my long life profession, and that required a tradeoff. I chose to invest my time and energy in my family and not sacrifice nights, weekends and holidays to be a part of the culinary world.
However, the passion for cooking never left and for many years, I was only able to share it with my big Cuban family and friends on Sundays and my Home Economics students, as I focused on my priorities.
Until one fine day, after raising my two beautiful, amazing, young ladies and my two handsome, sweet young boys, I finally gathered up the courage to re-purpose my energy and follow my dream of pursuing a degree in Culinary Arts! It was an exciting and exhausting journey but I can proudly say that I was finally able to achieve my other dream, and now I am a classically trained chef. ☺
We’d love to hear more about your work.
The Mad Table brand wears multiple hats centered around the same passion, food! They are all creative and they all feed off of each other. The Mad Table Blends and The Mad Table Styles are our latest babies and them just kind of recently fell on our lap!
I am very proud of my work and regardless of the project, I will always pour my heart into it and give 110%!!! I am often referred to as an “over deliverer!”
~The Mad Table
Our mission is to Teach.Cook.Style.Gather.
We inspire people to discover and enjoy the importance of food as a social medium to bring them together. Whether it’s through teaching private or group classes, hosting pop-up dinners, providing private chef services, dinner party planning, we’re there to ensure an unforgettable experience.
~The Mad Table Kids Culinary Camp
We run a small boutique style kids culinary camp in the summers only. I take up to 10 kids under my wing and expose them to kitchen safety + sanitation rules, knife skills, basic techniques, cutting methods, how to measure ingredients, proper usage of kitchen tools and equipment, and following recipes. In our class, we work as a group and is all hands-on. They make 3-4 recipes per day and at the end of the day, they all sit at the dining room table together for lunch and enjoy the fruits of their labor! Registration for 2019 culinary camp is now open.
~The Mad Table Blends
We make small batch hand crafted spice and sugar blends (I started making these blends for my private chef clients just to elevate the flavors of their dishes that I was creating for them and it quickly grew into a business of its own!). You can now find our blends on our Etsy Shop, themadtable.
~The Mad Table Styles
I started by playing around with my own food by using color, shape, and texture to create an artistic plate. I took on a few food styling projects working with bloggers that needed help making their food images pop for their websites and social media accounts and that eventually led me to more professional food and prop styling work for commercial + editorial, film, and some restaurants. This behind the scenes part of my job is one of my favorites! This is where I get to combine my talents and creative eye to every aspect of food styling and entertaining, from creating props to producing a story to developing recipes.
Below are some of The Mad Table’s accolades that we are most proud of:
• Cooked and filmed with Sara Moulton (American chef, cookbook author, and television personality). My Chicken Vaca Frita Tacos with Mango Salsa will be featured on Sara’s Weeknight Meals ion the fall of 2019.
• Participated in 2019 SOUTH BEACH WINE and FOOD FESTIVAL and voted 2nd place for Sunday’s best and 4th overall in Yelp’s Best Bite.
• I was invited to cook at the James Beard House in NYC with Greek celebrity chef Argiro Barbarigou.
• Recipe and Menu Development project for Subway Corporation.
• The Children’s Trust
• Culinary Demo at Coconut Grove Art Festival.
• Miami and Ft. Lauderdale Home Design & Remodeling Show.
• Volunteer culinary team member in Dinner for World-Renowned Spanish Chef Juan Mari Arzak.
• Baptist Health Breast Cancer Sip and Sauté Interactive Dinner.
• Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure
• Miami Book Fair International
• Most popular food styling projects include: Food Network, Bacardi Limited, Landmark Theatre, and National Pork Board.
• I now serve as secretary on the board of Les Dames d’Escoffier’s South Florida Chapter, a professional society for women in culinary, hospitality, and wine industries that provides scholarships and support to young women interested in a career in the culinary arts or the hospitality industry
What’s your outlook for the industry over the next 5-10 years?
The culinary industry is constantly changing and growing.
Here are just some of the trends that I see getting stronger in the future:
mindful eating
organics
farming
gut health foods
healthy seafood
cannabis cuisine
neuro nutrition
sustainability and eco-conscious packaging
Contact Info:
- Website: http://themadtable.com/ and http://themadtablestyles.com/
- Phone: 305-798-5867
- Email: chefpatty@themadtable.com
- Instagram: @themadtable
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheMadTable/
Image Credit:
Nabila Verushka Photography
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