Kidney disease took this Brunswick chef out of the kitchen. Now he's fighting to get back

Those who’ve been around Brunswick County for a while may not recognize the name Sal Rubio, but they might remember his shrimp and grits and she-crab soup.

Recently, Rubio was talking with someone about his love of cooking when they commented about having the best shrimp and grits at The Grille in the BP gas station on Naber Drive in Shallotte.

“I said, ‘That was me,’ and they said, ‘Oh, yeah! I remember you now,’” Rubio recalled.

Rubio said that happens about twice a week. While he’s still cooking, he no longer owns a restaurant. That was something he had to give up when he was diagnosed with kidney disease in April 2017. At the time, he was leasing the food and beverage facilities at Lockwood Folly Country Club, and he had previously operated The Grille in Shallotte.

“We opened in February of that year, I got diagnosed in April, and I was gone by June,” he said.

Though Rubio hoped to return to the restaurant business soon, hospitalizations, dialysis three times a week, nine surgeries, and countless medical appointments have made that difficult.

“It’s been a long road,” he said.

But a kidney transplant can change that. He’s currently on the list for a kidney at both the Medical University of South Carolina and the University of North Carolina Kidney Center. He’s been close to receiving a kidney twice in recent years, but both times, the donors discovered they had medical conditions, which prevented the surgeries.

While Rubio is still waiting, he’s found a way to keep working. He and his daughter Jena Rubio run Shrimply Delicious, a catering and food truck business, and he drives a taxicab part-time. While it keeps him busy, he still misses going to work every day, getting to know his customers, and coming up with inventive and creative new dishes.

“I also hope to open up another restaurant again, but that’s all on the back burner,” he said.

To find out about becoming a living donor, contact the Medical University of South Carolina at 1-800-277-8687 or the UNC Center for Transplant Care at 1-888-263-5293.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Longtime Brunswick chef searching for kidney donor