At the Overland Park Convention Center, Chef David Ruiz is rewriting the rules of large-scale catering

When it comes to convention center dining, where a thousand people might feast at once, no one is expecting a gourmet meal. But Overland Park Convention Center’s Executive Chef David Ruiz is looking to raise expectations.

Ruiz, an award-winning chef, is like most of his peers—he sources ingredients locally as much as he can and is into sustainable practices and weird fermenting methods. But unlike most top-tier chefs, Ruiz caters around 200 large-scale events a year. However, he doesn’t let his high-pressure job stop his creative culinary pursuits or diminish his product. 

Ruiz, who was working at restaurants in Albuquerque before he arrived at the Convention Center in 2024, is the first to admit that catering isn’t exactly the sexiest work, especially for a chef with a resume that includes a James Beard Foundation competition win, a Food Network victory, Fine Dining Chef of the Year honors and appearances on Chopped and Guy Fieri’s Family Road Trip. 

Cooking on such a large scale means efficiency becomes not only the ultimate goal but also a necessity when hundreds of plates need to hit the table simultaneously, often leaving innovation and flavor on the back burner. Sure, there are compromises that must be made, Ruiz admits, but the meals can still be show-stopping with a little creativity.

Ruiz estimates that about 40 percent of the ingredients he uses are locally sourced, primarily from the Overland Park Farmers Market and City Market. Eggs, chicken and beef cuts come from Five Mile Farms, the regenerative farm in Lacygne, Kansas, while cheese comes from Hemme Brothers Creamery, vanilla beans from Madagascar are sourced through Sava Trading Company, and chili crunch oil comes from Burro—just to name a few.

With all these quality ingredients, it’s important not to compromise them, which can easily happen when food is held in a heated hotel pan for hours at a time. One of his favorite tools is a commercial tumbler, which uses vacuum pressure to pull marinades deep into meat fibers, creating more flavorful and consistent results. Tools like this are a game changer when cooking large batches of food, he says.

So, how does Ruiz and his team take a common catering dish—say chicken breast—and take it to the next level? 

“We’re going to marinate that chicken in black garlic that we fermented, then take bones from Five Mile Farms and make our own chicken demi-glace and reduce it,” Ruiz says. “Then we’re gonna juice pomegranates with our beautiful juicer and make a pomegranate demi-glace. So, that dish is now locally made with our fermented ingredients, and it becomes something completely different, but it’s still a chicken.”

To strive for a more sustainable model, the Convention Center is expanding its garden from five to 15 raised beds and also composts. Last year, the Convention Center composted more than 65,000 pounds of food waste. Ruiz and his team look for ways to use every ingredient as efficiently as possible. For example, carrots are peeled, and those peels are then dehydrated and turned into a powder and used as a sweetener in salads or marinades.

Along with admitting that banquet work isn’t sexy on paper, Ruiz does not shy away from saying this is the most intense job he’s ever had. That’s why the Convention Center is creating Cultivate, a video series showcasing the behind-the-scenes work that goes into feeding thousands of guests, all from Ruiz’s perspective. One episode might show Ruiz and his team testing, curing, pickling, fermenting and prepping for an event. In another, he might be on the hunt for the best tortillas in the city to use for breakfast burritos. The Youtube series is slated to premier in September. “We’re not really sure where it’s going, but we want to show people what we’re doing here,” Ruiz says. 

Ruiz has also started a chef dinner series at the Convention Center that is open to the public. If you want to check it out visit, opconventioncenter.com.

David Ruiz’s Perfect Day in KC:

Mile Marker: I start my morning with a 10-mile run. I run through Columbus Park and Cliff Drive, and it’s just beautiful. I don’t listen to music. It’s a rare moment of quiet when pots and pans aren’t banging around.

Rise & Dine: I’m heading to Dear Donna. I really love what Johnny and Helen Jo Leach are doing. I love their breakfast and mortadella sandwich.

Homegrown: I’ll spend some time in my garden. I have seven different peppers growing, like New Mexican Hatch chiles. I’m also growing cucumbers, pineapple, sage, basil, lemongrass. Lots of herbs.

Happy Hour: Jade Jaguar just came out with a new menu. There’s this drink, La Palma. It’s fantastic.

Final Course: Of course I’m having dinner at Anjin. I’m looking forward to that ice cream dessert with extra toppings. 

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