Delco Profile: Christiana Ruiz Cooks from the Heart at Manny Vibez in Norwood

Growing up in South Philly, food was always around Christiana Ruiz. She loved going to the nearby Italian Market with her grandmother, picking out produce from the bustling outdoor stalls and stopping into the butcher shops. Back in her grandmother’s kitchen, Ruiz learned the ins and outs of Colombian cuisine, the food of her heritage. She’d often tell her grandmother that her dream was to own a restaurant one day.

In August 2023, that dream became a reality when Ruiz opened Manny Vibez, an all-day breakfast and lunch cafe in Norwood, PA. The path to get there, however, was not an easy — or an entirely happy — one.

The reason the cafe is called Manny Vibez versus “Many,” as one might expect, is that the entire restaurant is a tribute to Ruiz’s late brother, Emmanuel (aka Manny), who passed away in August of 2022. Ruiz and her brother had been extremely close their whole lives, and the loss was beyond devastating.

“My brother played a huge part in my life, he was the calm in the storm growing up,” Ruiz says. “He was always so proud of everything I’ve done.”

After graduating from Penn State Abington, Ruiz enlisted in the military and went into active service. When she moved back to Philadelphia, she enrolled in culinary school at the Art Institute of Philadelphia. After working a number of jobs in the field, at spots like Catering by Design in Mt. Airy and the dining services department at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, she landed a great gig: managing Buena Onda, a taco restaurant owned by Iron Chef, Jose Garces.

“I took over like it was my place,” she remembers. “I was bilingual, so I could connect with the staff, and I took things I learned in the military, like integrity and teamwork, plus the skills from culinary school and my passion, and put it all together.”

She ended up hiring Manny, and they loved working together. He’d often tease her about when she’d get around to opening her own spot. “My brother would always say, ‘You ready to do this? I’ll quit my job and help you,’” Ruiz says. “He was all in whenever I was ready to do it.”

Tragically, in the summer of 2022, Manny suddenly died, and Ruiz found herself in a sort of free fall. She was struggling financially, due to the pandemic, she’d had two babies just over a year apart, and was grieving the loss of her brother. 

“There were so many traumatic experiences and chaos after I lost my brother, and I realized, this life is so short and [opening a restaurant] is something I’d wanted to do for a really long time. I knew if I didn’t do it now, I wouldn’t do it ever, because I’m getting older,” she says.

At that point, Ruiz and her family were living in Norwood, and in May of 2023, she saw a commercial space for lease on Winona Ave., right off of Route 13, that caught her eye. To her, there were signs that this was the right place. 

“The church across the street is Immanuel Lutheran, just like my brother’s name, and the building address is 11—1117 is a very significant number for my brother and me, because it was my grandmother’s address and the day my dad died,” she says. “There were so many different things to keep us connected and keep his light in my life.”

Ruiz and her family worked all summer renovating and preparing the space. That August, Manny Vibez opened. She designed the menu to include both crowd-pleasers and dishes that had personal or familial significance.

Manny loved breakfast—his favorite was what he called “the works”: eggs, bacon and roasted red potatoes. That was reworked into the Grand Slam dish on the menu. Other dishes were influenced by journeys of Ruiz and her brother’s lives, like the South Philly Breakfast Sandwich, a nod to what they’d buy from food trucks before school. Jakes Cakes, pancakes on the kids menu, are named after one of her sons, because for awhile, pancakes were the only thing he’d eat. Ana’s Asada (sirloin steak with Spanish beans, rice, plantains and eggs) is named after Ruiz’s  grandmother, in whose kitchen this all started. 

“The Bandeja Paisa is our Colombian brunch tower, and it’s an ambitious plate with a lot of components—I wanted to make sure I did it right,” Ruiz adds. “I wanted the whole menu to showcase all kinds of cuisines.”

When Manny Vibez opened, they were busy right out of the gate. At first, it was just Ruiz and her younger sister running the cafe, but she quickly had to hire more staff. In October, Ruiz’s husband quit his day job and started helping out full-time, as well. They added full coffee service and expanded hours.

The reception from the community has been overwhelming. The warm, inviting atmosphere, the large and diverse menu and the human touches across the cafe seem to have resonated with the customers. After a kitchen fire in January 2024, the community banded together and raised $7,000, the exact amount that Ruiz needed to make repairs and replace equipment. Through all the ups and downs, Ruiz leans on the memory of Manny to keep her going.

“Every time I feel tired or irritated, I think back to my brother. He always treated people like VIPs and had so much empathy and love for them, so if I can treat people how he taught me and give them that special feeling, that means something to me,” she says.

There are photos of Manny throughout Manny Vibez, and a tribute to him printed right on the menu. Although he’s not physically by her side running the restaurant, as Ruiz had always dreamed he’d be, his presence is deeply felt there. Ruiz still gets emotional talking about her brother, but, thanks to the vibrant community that’s formed in the restaurant that’s a tribute to him, she has found a certain peace.  

“Sometimes I feel like throughout all the steps in our lives — even when they’re bad —  if you keep having faith and keep being a positive person, somehow the world gives it back to you and makes it make sense,” she says. “I’m just a go-getter. If I have an idea, I won’t rest until I see it through. I think it’s God giving me the creativity and energy.”

Manny Vibez is located at 11 E Winona Ave. in Norwood, PA; phone: (484) 494-6017.

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– Emily Kovach

 

Featured photo and all photos courtesy of Manny Vibez