Jesus Rivera, the chef at the Tune-Up Café is originally from El Salvadoran (try the pupusas for lunch or the Huevos El Salvadorenos for breakfast for El Salvadoran influenced favorites). Jesus, who has been in Santa Fe for ten years, worked at a number of Santa Fe restaurants before opening the Tune-Up Café.

Charlotte Rivera has lived all over, East Texas/Northern Louisiana; spending a lot of time in New Orleans; plus San Francisco, St. Louis, Mexico, Austin then finally to Santa Fe. She and Jesus met at Pasqual's where she was waiting tables at night and he was cooking during the day. Charlotte had a little underground restaurant run out of her house called Chez Charlotte and does the baking for the Tune-Up Café (try some coffee cake or fresh baked scones for breakfast or maybe a piece of homemade pie to finish off lunch).