Born in Passaic, New Jersey, on April 4, 1975, Carl Albert Ruiz was a restaurant owner and celebrity chef. Known as “The Cuban,” he regularly appeared as a guest chef or judge on various Food Network cooking and culinary shows, such as Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, Guy’s Grocery Games, and Guy’s Ranch Kitchen.
Pre-fame, his cheffing career saw him work as a sous chef at Dish, an executive chef at Sabor, and an executive chef at Brick Oven, all in New Jersey. He also worked as an executive chef at Son Cubano in Manhattan, New York City.
However, it was through his own Italian deli and cafe, Marie’s Italian Specialties (named after his then-wife Marie Riccio) in Chatham Township, New Jersey, that he came to the attention of celebrity chef Guy Fieri. Fieri was impressed by Ruiz’s food, became his friend, and helped him break into television. It was also through his friendship with Fieri that Ruiz became a frequent guest on Sirius XM’s Opie and Anthony and its successor, The Opie Radio Show.
Sadly, on Sep. 21, 2019, Ruiz passed away. He was just 44. But how did that happen?
How did Carl Ruiz die?
As per CBS News, Carl Ruiz died suddenly in his sleep in Bel Air North, Maryland, where he was visiting friends.
The cause of death was initially believed to be a heart attack but was later more specifically confirmed to be atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (as per Today). The condition is a chronic inflammatory disease that causes abnormalities called lesions in the walls of arteries.
His friend Guy Fieri took to X (Twitter at the time) to pay his respects, writing, “I’m heartbroken that my friend chef Carl Ruiz is gone. I have no words to describe what a great friend he was to me and my family. His ability to make me laugh and smile under any circumstances was only outshined by his talent as a chef.”
In an ominous twist of fate, on the day of his death, Ruiz also took to X to post, “This is how we all die,” referencing the discovery of a bizarre creature in Antarctica.
May Carl Ruiz forever rest in peace.