Juanita Ruiz

Meet Juanita. For Juanita, cooking started as a necessity and became a lifelong passion.

What began as preparing meals for her family in Bogotá eventually led her to culinary school, professional kitchens across Colombia, and now Revelstoke. Today, her cooking is shaped by bold flavours, strong technique, and the belief that the best dishes don't need to be complicated to leave a lasting impression.

  • A TASTE OF HOME

    Ajiaco.

    Ajiaco is a traditional Colombian chicken and potato soup that's rich, comforting, and deeply connected to home.

    Every family has their own version, but for Juanita, nothing compares to her mother's. She'll be the first to admit she isn't an incredible cook, yet somehow she makes the perfect ajiaco every single time.

    Part of what makes it so special is guasca, a native Colombian herb that's difficult to find anywhere else in the world. It's the ingredient that gives ajiaco its unmistakable flavour, making every bowl a reminder of home.

  • Always in My Kitchen

    Unlike many chefs, Diego wasn't taught by one single mentor.

    Instead, he learned by paying attention. Watching family members cook, asking questions, experimenting, and discovering techniques through experience helped shape his style over the years.

    His biggest lesson?

    The smiles around the table are always more important than the meal itself.

  • Lessons From the Kitchen

    After more than thirteen years in professional kitchens, Juanita has learned one lesson above all else:

    Slow down.

    Read the recipe. Understand the final dish. Once you know where you're going and have the technique to get there, cooking becomes far more intuitive.

How It All Began

Juanita never planned on becoming a chef.

After her mother experienced complications following surgery, someone needed to cook for the family. With her father often away, she stepped into the kitchen to care for her mom, her sister, and herself.

Without realizing it, those everyday meals sparked a passion that would shape her future.

After high school, she enrolled at Verde Oliva Culinary Academy in Bogotá, where she built the foundation of her career. There she learned that great cooking isn't about shortcuts or trends. It's about mastering the fundamentals first. Strong technique creates the freedom to be creative.

  • The Best Advice I've Ever Received

    "A cook with good mise en place never gets overwhelmed."

    For Juanita, mise en place is about much more than organized ingredients.

    It's about being mentally prepared.

    When everything has its place, you stay calm, think clearly, and enjoy the process, even during the busiest service.

  • Inspired by the Seasons

    Since moving to Revelstoke, Juanita has fallen in love with BC cherries. In Colombia, they weren't an ingredient she cooked with often, but here they have become one of her seasonal favourites. She loves their versatility, pairing them with everything from desserts to duck, pork, and rich cheeses.

    For Juanita, seasonal cooking is a reminder that the best ingredients rarely have to travel far.

  • ANOTHER LESSON

    Recipes aren't rules. They're a starting point. Technique, confidence, and understanding your ingredients matter far more than following every measurement exactly.

A Favourite Food Memory

Some of Juanita's favourite memories aren't from restaurant kitchens at all.

Every Christmas Eve, she and her husband, Diego, skip the traditional holiday dinner and create something completely new together. One year it's paella, the next it's risotto, and the year after that, whatever inspires them.

They spend the day cooking side by side before sharing the meal with both of their families.

For Juanita, those Christmas dinners capture everything she loves about cooking: learning something new, creating memories, and bringing people together around the table.