Safe food that meets IDDSI standards
Built From Experience. Driven by Impact.
We're a father-son team who've spent decades in healthcare kitchens. We know what works because we've lived it.
Who We Are
Cruz Culinary is Davis Cruz and Brandon Cruz — a father-son team combining over 30 years of healthcare culinary experience with modern content creation and education.
Davis brings three decades as an Executive Chef in healthcare settings. Brandon brings fresh perspective, digital expertise, and a commitment to making IDDSI training accessible and practical.
In Action
See our hands-on approach in real kitchens with real teams.
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Our Story
It started with a YouTube channel. Brandon began documenting his father's work in healthcare kitchens, sharing techniques and insights that Davis had refined over 30 years as an Executive Chef.
What began as simple documentation quickly revealed a massive gap in the industry. Facilities were struggling with IDDSI implementation. Staff were overwhelmed. Training was theoretical, disconnected from real kitchen operations. Brandon observed firsthand how the lack of practical, hands-on guidance was holding teams back.
Davis had spent decades solving these exact problems — building systems that worked, training teams that stayed confident, creating food that met standards without sacrificing quality. But most facilities didn't have access to that kind of hands-on expertise.
So we built Cruz Culinary to bridge that gap. We combine Davis's deep operational knowledge with Brandon's ability to communicate and educate. We work directly with facilities to implement IDDSI the way it should be done — in real kitchens, with real teams, building real systems.
Our Mission
We believe every resident deserves food that is:
Consistent preparation across all shifts
High-quality ingredients and techniques
Enjoyable meals residents look forward to
Our Commitment
We don't just consult from a distance. We work side-by-side with your team in your kitchen. We train with your equipment, your recipes, your constraints.
We build systems that your staff can maintain without constant oversight. We focus on sustainability, not dependency. When we're done, your team owns the process.
Why It Matters
This work is personal for our family. A close family member of Davis and Brandon battled jaw cancer and Parkinson’s disease, requiring texture-modified foods. Through this experience, we saw firsthand how important proper food preparation is—not only for safety, but also for preserving dignity, comfort, and quality of life.
When food is prepared correctly, residents eat better. They maintain nutrition. They enjoy meals instead of dreading them. That's what drives us.
We've seen too many facilities struggle with IDDSI because they were given theory instead of practical training. We've seen staff overwhelmed because systems weren't built to fit their reality. We've seen residents suffer because implementation focused on compliance over quality.
We're here to change that.
More Than Consulting
We're partners in building IDDSI programs that work. Programs that your team can maintain. Programs that deliver real results for residents.
Work With Us