Patience is a Virtue

R.J. Hernandez is a musician, chef, and entrepreneur who has been entertaining audiences and educating young people about his culture for more than three decades. R.J. plays a variety of instruments. He is the leader and a founding member of the musical ensemble Las Guitarras de Mexico. As a child, R.J. watched his mother prepare numerous Mexican dishes using just her intuition and experience to measure a pinch of this and a scoop of that. Understanding his mother wouldn’t always be around to guide his cooking lessons, R.J. began tirelessly recording measurements, temperatures, and techniques she used and turned them into recipes, which would later contribute to the success of Raul’s Mexican Food, the chain of restaurants R.J. would open, own, and operate in Des Moines.

"I am a brown man playing and working and trying to get along in a world that doesn't 'see color.' It takes patience to meet people where they are and invite them on the journey to fully see myself and others who are not part of the dominant culture."

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