Ceasar Zepeda grew up cooking alongside his extended family. They taught him the secrets to success in the kitchen. "When the smell of my food reminds me of my grandpa's house, I know it's perfect," Zepeda said. "I didn't go to culinary school. I learned things on my own." Zepeda moved to San Antonio several years ago to study business at UTSA. After earning his degree, he stayed in the Alamo City to join the food scene. After learning from other restaurant owners and climbing up the culinary ladder, he opened Sangria on the Burg in 2016. Ceasar took 2nd place on Guy Fieri's Food Network Show "Grocery Games", and has won many culinary awards without ever attending culinary school. His love for food started young, while he was growing up in the small Texas town of Banquete. The little town has less than 800 people and is located just 23 miles west of Corpus Christi. In 1999, Zepeda enrolled in the UTSA College of Business with the goal of opening up his own restaurant one day. “The idea for my restaurant, Sangria on the Burg, was in the works the whole time while I was attending UTSA,” said Zepeda. With the knowledge he gained from his course work and work experience, he was able to pick up tips on how to succeed in business. At UTSA, he developed his entrepreneurial skills and learned business management techniques from top-tier faculty. Zepeda also said the courses he took in the UTSA Department of Communication have been useful during his career because good communicators are good leaders. “It’s important to study, but it’s also important to work and get to know how restaurants operate,” said Zepeda.