Inside the Penitentiary of New Mexico, Miguel Tapia is breaking out of his comfort zone. Tapia, who is serving a 15-month prison sentence for a parole violation stemming from a robbery conviction, said he's "used to seeing the sidewalk," or living life aimlessly with no real goals in mind. But in recent weeks, a new culinary training program that includes lessons on how to get a job after inmates leave prison has given the Albuquerque native a new lease on life.
"It's opening a different part of my vision," said Tapia, 48. "I'm starting to see the different colors in the spectrum." Renowned chef Fernando Ruiz, a three-time Food Network champion, is leading the eight-week course through the recently launched Entrepreneurial Institute of Northern New Mexico, which he co-founded with Ralph Martinez, a community activist in Española, and Jamai Blivin, founder and CEO of the Santa Fe-based workforce development nonprofit Innovate+Educate.
For Ruiz and Martinez, the reentry program, part of a push to build inmates' confidence and help them reintegrate after they get out of prison, is deeply personal. The pair know firsthand what it's like to be on the inside. Ruiz spent four years behind bars, and Martinez is a former addict who was in and out of jail.
"Chef and I both know how easy it can be to fall into a situation and how hard it can be to get out of that situation," Martinez said. "But we also know the healing that comes along with piecing your life back together, and that's .