12 People You Need to Know: Judith and Jesus “Chuy” García

Q&A | Aug. 19

Why You Need to Know Judith & Chuy: They are the duo behind Show Me Chuy, a Mexican-Italian fusion restaurant that proves Mexican food can be upscale and Italian food can have Latin flair. The Mexican natives who earned U.S. citizenship this year say they love their adopted country – and sharing with others a wealth of Mexican tradition and cuisine.
Position: Owners, ShowMeChuy LLC
Ages: Judith, undisclosed; Chuy, 42
Education: Judith, Ph.D. in comparative literature and cultural studies at the University of Arkansas, master’s in education at Missouri State University and licentiate degree in law at Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León in Mexico; Chuy, Central High School alumnus who has taken courses from the Culinary Institute of Mexico
Career: Judith, director of faculty mentoring and associate professor of literature at MSU; Chuy, former executive chef at Avanzare Italian Dining

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Customers won’t be greeted with a basket of chips with salsa at Show Me Chuy, a Mexican-Italian fusion restaurant now in its third month at 1410 E. Republic Road.

Mexican food is more complicated than most restaurants suggest. Tacos are generally considered street food, and restaurants in Mexico don’t often include them on their menu.

This is all according to Jesus “Chuy” García, co-owner of Show Me Chuy. Chuy comes from Mexico, where he owned an Italian restaurant, Giovanni’s – named for his young son, Gio – in Monterrey.

Today, Gio and brother Angelo help in the kitchen, following in the footsteps of Chuy and his brother, acclaimed chef Tony García, owner of Avanzare Italian Dining.

Not in the kitchen is the other half of the husband-wife Show Me Chuy team, Judith García, a literature professor at Missouri State University. Judith runs the business end of the operation.

The restaurant’s unique value propositions are its upscale Mexican dishes and its Italian-Mexican fusion approach.

If a typical Mexican restaurant offers a peek at the culture through a crack in the door, the Show Me Chuy menu throws that door wide open. Among the appetizers are pulpo sarandeado – grilled octopus marinated in chipotle adobe – or portobello a la Chuy, a grilled portobello mushroom topped with crab meat and garnished with mango pico de gallo.

A range of pastas cater to an Italian palate – fettucine alfredo and cheese ravioli top the menu – but there are also some surprises, like penne poblano with shrimp, featuring rigatoni tossed in poblano sauce and topped with Mexican cheese. Chuy considers his showpiece to be chamorro de puerco, a slow-cooked pork shank.

The fusion concept gives Chuy – formerly a chef at Avanzare – a chance to open up his options.

Chuy said he doesn’t try to compete with his brother.

“I’m like a little Chihuahua next to a bulldog. It’s not even close,” he said.

Chuy first moved to Springfield in 1999, and since that time, he has seen the Queen City become a restaurant town – but today, restaurants face challenges from a rising cost of living that may make people think twice about dining out.

Chuy is putting together a concept for a family to-go dinner, ready to pop in the oven and bake at home. Judith said the concept will allow home cooks to offer some of the pizzazz of a chef-prepared meal.

Judith finds the biggest challenge so far to be workforce related, with 61 employees, most working full time in the restaurant that seats more than 200.

“We worry about their mental health; we worry about their self-care,” Judith said. “We try to make a nice environment so when they’re here, they’re happy.”

The family attained U.S. citizenship last year – part of a 20-year process, Judith said.

Judith’s parents were politicians in Mexico, and she said her father often talked about what a special place America was.

“Now that I’ve been here 30 years, I know we also have our things to work on, but we’re definitely ahead in many things,” she said. “There are many opportunities, and that’s why we value being here.”