About
Ruben Rodriguez-Santos, 31, lives for family. He beams when talking about his 3-year-old son, Ruben Alexander. Hopping up from the booth near the front door, which allows a constant stream of customers in and out, Rodriguez-Santos goes to retrieve his uncle, Alex Sivira, from the back.
"My uncle is my biggest motivator; I wouldn't be anywhere without him," he says. "He continues to push me."
Rodriguez-Santos came to Jackson from Caracas, Venezuela, when he was 15 years old. A talented tennis player, he was offered full scholarships to various colleges in the U.S., but his parents chose Hinds Community College in Jackson. His older brother and his uncle, then a teacher at Hinds, already resided in the metro, making the choice an easy one.