Juan Ramon Cardenas, a chef, restaurateur, and author, hails from Saltillo, Coahuila. He holds a degree in Food Industry Engineering and a master’s in business administration from the Tecnológico de Monterrey. Cardenas has furthered his culinary education through training at various gastronomy schools in Mexico, the United States, and Europe.

Cardenas' passion for cooking was ignited at a young age in his parents' restaurant, where he learned the culinary traditions of northeastern Mexico, particularly the preparation of goat and roasted meats. His expertise has led him to serve at banquets across Mexico and internationally, including prestigious venues such as the Mexican Embassy in Berlin, the Mexico-Arte Museum in Austin, Texas, The Culinary Institute of America in San Antonio, and The Modern Museum in Fort Worth, Texas. He has also been a special guest chef in Chicago with Chef Rick Bayless.

In 2024, Cardenas received the recognition “La Presa de Saltillo,” the highest award given by his hometown of Saltillo, Coahuila. In 2017, Cardenas was included in the book Great Chefs of Mexican Gastronomy. He also authored an academic book, La Senda del Cabrito, which received a Gourmand Award as Best Book in Gastronomy for the meats category. In 2012, he received the San Pascual Award for being one of the best Mexican chefs.

His restaurants, Don Artemio, located in Saltillo and Fort Worth, along with his Banquet House Villa Ferré, have also received many awards and recognitions:

•    Recognized by Wine Spectator in Saltillo and Fort Worth
•    Top 120 Best Mexican Restaurants in Mexico
•    Don Artemio, Fort Worth, named in the top 10 new restaurants by the James Beard Foundation
•    Villa Ferré was named the best banquet house in Mexico by the CANIRAC National.