El Paso chef makes it his mission to feed frontline emergency workers

EL PASO, Texas -- With the pandemic putting a halt on many local restaurants, one El Paso chef is lucky to be receiving a contract job - but it’s a contract he hopes will soon end.

"We’re supposed to be ready to scale up to 100 people if possible. I hope we don’t get there," said Raul Gonzalez, owner of Rulis International Kitchen.

Because of the increasing Covid-19 numbers in El Paso, he decided to put a stop to his indoor dining.

"If we’re seeing big numbers here, that means that we’re not doing our job out there,” said Gonzalez, known as Chef Rulis.

Due to the ongoing surge of coronavirus cases, the El Paso Convention Center recently turned into a makeshift hospital, meaning the need to feed patients and staff would be required.

"This materialized fairly quickly and we started operations Monday morning," said Chef Rulis.

SLS Co. Ltd., an emergency and response company, reached out to Chef Rulis to offer a contract opportunity to feed patients and staff at the makeshift hospital.

"We’re going to be doing the food for the patients. So we’re making food based on dietary restrictions and we’re also doing coffee, tea and refreshments for the staff,” said Chef Rulis.

This contract means that Chef Rulis and his team will remain busy despite the strain the pandemic is having on his business.

"I enjoy cooking. I enjoy doing all those things and the silver lining to me is that we are feeding mainly patients now. We’re helping them in their recovery, so that is special because I know that food heals and I’ll be able to work on helping their recovery and I do appreciate that,” said Chef Rulis, who hopes that this new contract ends sooner rather than later.

"There’s a need and I need to fill it for sure, but I also understand that if I’m here a long time, it means people are not doing so well out there because this is the overflow. And if we’re getting busy over here, it’s not the type of busy that I enjoy doing,” he concluded.