The hiring committee at the Overland Park Convention Center knew they had a hit on their hands when they invited David Ruiz to conduct a tasting as a part of his interview process earlier this year for the position of executive chef. As David brought out course after course, it became clear that this was the guy, but they didn’t let him know that until the tasting was finished. He may have been hired, though, before the crème brûlée plates were entirely cleared. 

This young, inspired chef is a James Beard Foundation competition-winner (blended burger in 2018) and named International Produce Association’s Chef of the Year in 2024. He also won the Food Network’s It’s CompliPlated contest in 2022. He has been sharpening his skills in Aspen, San Jose, Yosemite, and most recently, Albuquerque, which brings a plethora of experiences and tastes with each location. Not only is he geographically varied in his cooking, he also shares his own cultural influences of Mexican and Jewish culinary arts. David’s grandmother had a farm in northern California, and she brought her culinary knowledge from some time spent cooking in France. He worked on the farm and entertained a multi-national set of friends – he has also learned about food from a friend who is Korean and a neighbor from São Paulo, Brazil. 

Why bring all of that to a convention center in the middle of the country? David admits that when he was contacted to interview for the job, he didn’t really think it would be something of interest to him. He had some preconceived notions regarding Kansas City and what it must be like. “I wondered where Overland Park was, and if all they had to eat was barbecue,” he mused. Obviously our midwestern charms took over, as did Our Town’s ability to speak for itself, and David and his girlfriend have been quickly won over. They are, of course, impressed by the museums, the history, and the art, but especially the emerging food scene in our area. David was excited to try his talents in the new (for him) culture of a convention center. 

He was intrigued by the stellar reputation of the Overland Park Convention Center, and he felt it would be a good place to work his magic in bringing a “farm to table” concept from smaller restaurants to larger scale events. His vision is to have as much locally sourced food on every plate for each event as possible. He wants his dishes to present beautifully, taste incredible, and leave the impression that convention food has indeed been reinvented. David spends a great deal of his time, when not in the kitchen, out in the community sourcing farms, foods, people, and making connections. When dreaming of his ideal culinary experience, he summoned the memory of watching Ratatouille, the movie. “I want to help my guests capture that moment where they try a dish, and it transports them back in time to a wonderful memory.” 

It is important to the chef to make his tastings with possible clients as personal as he can make them. David wants to visit with each group planning an event, find out what is important to them, and help them tell a story through the food served at the event. He likes being out in the front of the house, not just behind the apron in front of the fire. He figures his attention to details, freshness, and quality might even help fundraisers be more successful! 

When asked what he has found in Kansas City so far that piques his interest, he mentioned we have the best peaches anywhere! David is also enamored with the restaurants Fox and Pearl, Green Dirt, and Noka. When we wondered aloud what the chef served that day he was interviewed and hired, his menu did not disappoint. Some of the highlights were flank steak, citrus salad, Peruvian chicken on polenta, seared scallops and risotto, and blackberry crème brûlée. It sounds like we would have voted “yes” on the hiring decision, too, had we been in the room. We are now simply waiting on the invitation to attend a gala!

Featured in the October 5, 2024 issue of The Independent
By: Anne Potter Russ