Chef Fernando Ruiz at EDWINS

A Southwestern & Mexican Tasting Dinner

Saturday, January 10th

EDWINS welcomes Chef Fernando Ruiz, one of the most compelling voices in modern Southwestern and Mexican cuisine, for a one-night-only tasting dinner.

A three-time Food Network Champion, Chef Ruiz has claimed victories on Guy’s Grocery Games, Chopped, and most famously Beat Bobby Flay, where he stunned judges with his take on chiles en nogada. His cooking is bold, soulful, and deeply rooted in the flavors of the American Southwest and Mexico—layered chiles, bright acidity, earthy corn, and fire balanced with finesse.

Chef Ruiz brings decades of experience from the Santa Fe region and beyond. In August 2024, he opened Escondido, his first signature restaurant, a culmination of a lifetime spent honoring heritage, technique, and storytelling through food.

The Chef Behind the Plate

Born in Phoenix, Arizona, Chef Ruiz split his childhood between the city and his family’s ranch in Mexico. His early life was turbulent—marked by hardship, incarceration, and ultimately transformation. While serving time in his early twenties, Ruiz earned his G.E.D. and made a pivotal decision to change course. He enrolled in culinary school and graduated in 1999, launching a career that would eventually bring him national acclaim.

After years cooking in Colorado and New Mexico, Ruiz met his wife, Michelle Romero, whose influence he credits as foundational to his success. Her encouragement reignited his passion for cooking and pushed him to pursue his craft at the highest level. Humble and grounded, Ruiz often says, “Behind every great man is an even greater woman.”

The Dinner

This exclusive tasting menu highlights Chef Ruiz’s signature style—elevated Southwestern and Mexican cuisine that is deeply personal, ingredient-driven, and unapologetically flavorful.

Featured Courses Include:

• Oyster “Montado”
  Raw oyster, shrimp ceviche, tomatillo–mezcal mignonette, salsa negra

• Shrimp Posole
  Gulf shrimp, hominy, guajillo chile, shaved radish, purple cabbage, key lime, cilantro micro-greens

• Grilled Strip Loin
  Blue corn purée, grilled squash, ancho-chile demi-glace, salsa fresca

• Champurrado
  Mexican hot chocolate, churro

Each course is designed to tell a story—of place, resilience, tradition, and evolution—brought to life through bold flavors and refined technique.

An EDWINS Experience

As with all EDWINS dinners, this evening celebrates craftsmanship, mentorship, and the power of hospitality to transform lives. Seats are limited for this intimate experience.

Date: Saturday, January 10th – 6:30pm
Location: EDWINS Leadership & Restaurant Institute
Seating: Limited availability

Join us for an unforgettable night with one of the most dynamic chefs working in Southwestern and Mexican cuisine today—only at EDWINS

Friday, January 16th | 6:30 PM
$125 per person
Limited to 20 guests

Join us for an intimate winter evening in the EDWINS Cigar Bar as we present a five-course Wild Game Dinner inspired by old-world technique, seasonal ingredients, and fireside tradition.

This carefully paced experience highlights classic preparations of game—thoughtfully paired with wine and served in a setting designed for conversation, warmth, and lingering over the table. Expect deep, comforting flavors, restrained elegance, and a menu that unfolds naturally as the night progresses.

The Menu

• Rattlesnake Dip

• Chestnut Pheasant Soup

• Rabbit Pie

• Braised Wild Boar with roasted root vegetables and potato purée

• Plum Pudding

Each course is paired with wine selected to complement the dish and enhance the overall arc of the meal.

To conclude the evening, guests may choose an optional add-on featuring a pour of vintage Armagnac and a curated cigar, enjoyed in the cigar bar following dessert—an ideal way to extend the night.

Details

• Friday, January 16th

• Seating begins at 6:30 PM

• $125 per person (plus tax & gratuity)

• Optional Armagnac & cigar add-on available

• Extremely limited seating (20 guests)

This dinner is designed to be unhurried, intimate, and grounded in tradition, a winter table meant to be savored.

A Beer-Driven Dinner with Black Frog Brewery

Five beers. Five courses. One night where the beer tells the chefs what to cook.

Cleveland’s brewing history has deep roots, but very few of its breweries carry a story like Black Frog Brewery. Founded by Chris Harris, Black Frog began as a small, relentless homebrewing project that grew into much more. From humble beginnings in his garage to pouring pints that reflect grit, vision, and craft, Chris built Black Frog on passion, persistence, and the belief that great beer should be both personal and unpretentious.

This dinner celebrates that spirit.

For one night only, EDWINS and Black Frog are joining forces to create something new:
a five-course winter dinner where every single dish is inspired directly by one of Black Frog’s beers.
Not paired after the fact — built from the beer. The malt, the hops, the aroma, the story behind each brew becomes the spark that shapes what arrives on the plate.

Expect the patio warmed and glowing, expect winter flavors that make sense in the cold, and expect the kind of collaboration that only happens when a brewery with a story and a kitchen with imagination sit down together and start dreaming.

Chris and the Black Frog brew team will share the meaning and personality behind each beer. EDWINS chefs will reveal how they translated those flavors into texture, spice, acidity, fat, smoke, and sweet. It’s part tasting, part story, and part celebration of a Cleveland original that deserves to be seen, tasted, and talked about.

Whether you’re a beer lover, a food lover, or just want to experience something uniquely Cleveland, this dinner brings you into the heart of what makes craft culture powerful: local makers, shared tables, and flavors that tell a story.

Date: Friday, January 23rd, 2026
Time: 6:00 PM (Doors open 5:30)
Location: EDWINS on Cedar
Price: $85 per person (includes all food + beer pairings)
Seating: Limited; communal seating may be used