Late Celebrity Chef Dined In HdG, Called It 'Heaven'

HAVRE DE GRACE, MD — A celebrity chef who died over the weekend paid a visit to Havre de Grace before he passed away. While there, he ate at one of the city's celebrated eateries.

Carl Ruiz, 44, tweeted a photo of a crab cake he said was "heaven" before 10 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20.

It appeared to be "De Graw Crab Cakes," an entree from the Cajun-inspired Creole de Graw restaurant on Union Avenue. The eatery broils the Maryland favorite, then serves up the crab cakes with the vegetable du jour, starch and remoulade.

"Saddened to hear of the passing of Chef Carlos Ruiz, who just recently dined with us at CdG," Creole de Graw posted on Facebook Monday, Sept. 23. "His light, laugh, and incredible talent will surely be missed on and off the screen. Fly high, Chef!"

Ruiz, whose home base is in New York, said he came to Maryland for a sandwich.

"I took a train just to eat one of the best sandwiches in America. Why? Because freedom. Because America," he tweeted from Baltimore after 2 p.m. Friday. Hours later, he feasted at Chaps Pit Beef, then shared the pictures to prove it.

Chaps Pit Beef has the "Best Sandwich in Maryland," according to People magazine, which in May released a list of the best sandwich in every state for 2019.

Before Ruiz got there, he stopped at another local hot spot: Hip Hop Fish & Chicken.

He made time to hang out with the fish, too, at the National Aquarium by the Inner Harbor.

Later, Ruiz tweeted from Abingdon what his next course would be.

"I know a good place for crab," Ruiz said. "So I’m headed there."

The chef known for his humor and wit has made appearances on Food Network and in June opened La Cubana in the Meatpacking District of New York City. The restaurant plans to establish a scholarship fund for aspiring chefs in Ruiz's name, the company wrote on Instagram. Ruiz also started Marie's Italian Specialties with his ex-wife Marie Riccio in New Jersey nearly a decade ago. The restaurant was featured on "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" with Guy Fieri back in 2013. Fieri said he had "no words to describe" how great a friend Ruiz became to him and his family but tweeted: "His ability to make me laugh and smile under any circumstances was only outshined by his talent as a chef."

A cause of death has not yet been determined, Ruiz's brother told The New York Times. Ruiz was in Maryland near Baltimore and staying with friends when he died, according to his brother.

The last tweet from Ruiz was sent at 12:06 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, from Bel Air North. He was responding to one of his followers who asked him to settle a dispute about the correct way to prepare a Cuban sandwich.

Matt Farah, a friend of Ruiz, posted on Instagram that the chef "passed peacefully in his sleep at just 44 years old."

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore cannot comment on cases under investigation, its spokesman told Patch.

New York Patch editor Sydney Pereira contributed to this report.

SEE ALSO:

• Best Sandwich In Maryland: Where To Get It
• Food Network Star, NJ Native Carl Ruiz Dies At 44
• Cajun-Creole Cuisine Comes to Havre de Grace
• All The Best Food In Maryland You Need To Eat In 2019
  
• Celebrity La Cubana Chef Carl Ruiz Dies At 44