DON ARTEMIO - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Co - Owner
- General Manager
Job Titles:
- Founder
- Creator & Founder
Juan Ramón Cárdenas concept creator and founder, is originally from Saltillo, Coahuila. He is a Food Industry Engineer and received a master's degree in Business Administration from the Tecnológico de Monterrey. Additionally, Cárdenas has trained in various gastronomy schools in Mexico, the United States, and Europe.
His interest in cooking began in his parent's restaurant at a very young age. There, he learned the gastronomic secrets of northeastern Mexico, especially how to prepare goat and roasted meats. He has served banquets throughout Mexico, as well as at the Mexican Embassy in Berlin, the "Mexic-Art Museum" in Austin, Texas, "The Culinary Institute of America" in San Antonio, Texas, "The Modern Museum" in Forth Worth, Texas, and in Chicago, Illinois, as a special guest of Chef Rick Bayless.
Job Titles:
- Assistant General Manager
Rodrigo Cárdenas Garza, born into a tapestry of culinary traditions, seamlessly wove his journey through the realms of restaurants and banquets. A companion to his parents in various kitchens since childhood, he absorbed the essence of gastronomy. Guided by his mother, Beatriz, the intricacies of sweet cuisine unfolded at Villa Ferré, where a dedication to high-quality banquets became his culinary creed. From his father, Juan Ramón, he imbibed the secrets of cabrito and the culinary tapestry of the northeast at El Mesón Principal and Don Artemio Saltillo.
His academic odyssey led him to attain a degree in Food Industry Engineering from the prestigious Tecnológico de Monterrey. The culmination of his culinary education transpired at the International Culinary Center in New York, where he immersed himself in the art of Culinary Arts. During this period, his skills flourished at the Dinex Group, an empire orchestrated by the lauded chef Daniel Boulud, and at Nicos restaurant in Mexico City, curated by the renowned chef Gerardo Vazquez Lugo. The latter, a culinary gem, adorned the illustrious list of the top 50 in Hispanoamerica.
In the year 2021, Rodrigo undertook a visionary nixtamalization program, breathing life into the ancient Mexican process of corn dough production. By 2022, he ascended to the role of executive chef at the Don Artemio Mexican Heritage restaurant in the heart of Fort Worth, Texas. The year 2023 witnessed the restaurant's accolades-a James Beard Foundation nomination for Best New Restaurant of 2022, the crown for the best new restaurant in Fort Worth in 2023, and the distinction as a top 10 best Wagyu steak haven in Texas by Texas Monthly.