Jose Ramirez Ruiz
Chef and Owner

Jose Ramirez Ruiz is the chef and owner of Isabela, his new restaurant located in the heart of the Hudson Valley.

Born and raised in Isabela, Puerto Rico, Jose’s culinary journey began in a family full of cooks, leading him to study at the New England Culinary Institute in Vermont and hone his skills in prestigious kitchens around the world.

In 2014, Jose earned a Michelin Star at Semilla, his first restaurant in Brooklyn, where he focused on hyper local, vegetable forward cuisine, elevating vegetables to the star of the plate.

After closing Semilla, Jose spent time in Miami reconnecting with ingredients closer to his Puerto Rican roots before relocating to the Hudson Valley with a vision to open Isabela.

At Isabela, Chef Ruiz creates a dining experience rooted in the region’s micro-seasons, guided by his ethos of “cocina de cercanías,” which translates to “kitchen of the nearby,” celebrating the best local, seasonal ingredients from the abundance of local farms and fisheries the area has to offer.

The menu is ever-evolving, offering a fresh and dynamic take on neighborhood dining, where each dish reflects the changing rhythms of the land.