2 min read- Guy Fieri paid tribute on Instagram to his late friend Carl Ruiz on what would have been Ruiz’s 51st birthday.
- Fieri first met Ruiz in 2012 when Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives featured Marie’s Italian Specialties in New Jersey.
- Ruiz later became a familiar face on Guy’s Grocery Games before his death in 2019.
Guy Fieri has built a career on spotlighting talented chefs across the country, and many of those relationships last long after the cameras stop rolling. This week, he took to social media to pay tribute to one of his most beloved friends and collaborators, who tragically passed away nearly seven years ago.
April 4 marked what would have been the birthday of the late Carl “The Cuban” Ruiz, and Fieri honored him with a post on Instagram. “We all miss you brother,” he wrote.
Fieri first met Ruiz in 2012 on the set of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. The Food Network star featured Marie’s Italian Specialties, the New Jersey deli Ruiz opened with his then-wife, Marie Riccio.
The two became fast friends, and Ruiz went on to appear on the series several more times. Eventually, he joined Fieri as a judge on Guy’s Grocery Games and Guy’s Ranch Kitchen.
But Ruiz’s life was cut short in 2019 by atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease at the age of 44. And even years later, it’s clear how deeply his loss is still felt by Fieri and the broader Food Network community.
Fans and fellow Food Network stars flooded Fieri’s Instagram post to pay their respects. Guy’s Grocery Games regulars Tiffani Faison, Stephanie Izard, and Michael Symon all dropped hearts in the comments. “Miss his humor on the shows,” one fan wrote. “He was awesome.”
Commenters frequently cited one of Ruiz’s most memorable catchphrases, proving that his legacy lives on with viewers. “Pinkies out all day,” one person wrote. Another added, “Miss him so much. Pinkies up!”
Sending our love to Guy and the rest of the Food Network family as they remember him.