The Keepsake Guy Fieri Saved From His Late Friend Carl 'The Cuban' Ruiz

We know Guy Fieri for his loud personality and his signature, bleach-blonde spiky hair. We also know his go-to Ohio restaurant and his favorite Italian liquor. But there's a side to Fieri that many of us don't know or rarely see, which is that he's a loving friend to the people who are dear to him. A proof of this is how much he cherishes his pal, chef Carl "The Cuban" Ruiz, even after the latter's passing. Guy Fieri keeps one of Ruiz's personal belongings as a keepsake — a long, faux fur leopard print coat. On the late chef's sixth death anniversary, Fieri paid tribute to him by recreating an iconic pose while wearing the garment.

In an Instagram post dated September 21, 2025, the "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives" host shared a photo of himself wearing the stylish fur coat, a ball cap, and large glasses stretching his arms out wide and sporting a cigarette in his mouth. This is accompanied by another photo showing the inspiration for his snap. In the second photo, Ruiz, who died in his sleep in 2019, rocks a similar pose in the same coat while wearing a ball cap and glasses while puffing a cigar. "I miss you so much my brother Chef Carl. You cooked, you laughed, you lit up the world. You are one of a kind. RIP the Cuban," Fieri captioned the post.

Given his funny, high-energy, and unapologetically bold personality, it's not surprising that Guy Fieri has a wide circle of friends which includes Hollywood stars. (FYI: He and Matthew McConaughey are bros.) When it comes to his friendship with Carl Ruiz, though, it started with a chance encounter in Manhattan in 2006. Ruiz bumped into Fieri after the latter had just wrapped up filming "Food Network Star." The meeting led to more cordial get-togethers which soon blossomed into professional collaborations. The late chef appeared in "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives" and he also served as a judge on "Guy's Grocery Games." 

Eventually, the two got pretty close. When Ruiz died, Fieri was among the first to publicly mourn his loss. "I'm heartbroken that my friend Chef Carl Ruiz is gone ... Over the years, I've met a lot of great people, but a friend like Carl is one in a hundred million," Fieri wrote on Instagram the day after Ruiz's passing. A year later, on Ruiz's first death anniversary, Fieri paid tribute to him by posting a video on Instagram where he said, "He was a big fan of the industry, always taking care of his brothers and sisters in the biz." In the same video, he asked fans to keep his pal's memory alive. In the years that followed, Fieri never forgot to greet and express his appreciation for Ruiz and their friendship on multiple occasions, especially on Ruiz's birthday.