Ramon Alvarez hit a homerun when he moved from being a professional baseball player to becoming a personal chef.

Ramon first came to the United States 37 years ago to play ball but when that didn’t go as planned, he began cooking at Chili’s. He already knew how to cook Spanish food but it turns out he showed real talent – something Chili’s quickly recognized and therefore sent him to the company’s culinary arts school. He moved up in the company becoming a corporate trainer and then managing the St. Augustine Chili’s for more than 10 years.

One of his co-workers at Chili’s branched out on his own and started the Florida Cracker Café on St. George Street. Ramon joined him as chef and kitchen manager where he remained until a few months ago when he began working full-time as Ramon Personal Chef, his food truck and catering business.