Jeff Ruby Family Helps Local Family In Need

Britney Ruby, Dan Bell and the Bray family. Provided. 

Dwan and Aaron Bray, a local Cincinnati family, face difficult challenges daily.

Their young twin boys, Aarion and Aubrey, have autism. And their baby, Ny’Leah, has cerebral palsy, and is blind and epileptic. Jeff Ruby Culinary Entertainment, a longtime member of the Fort Thomas Family, has been involved with the Bray family for quite some time. And recently, JRCE improved their lives immensely, in a way most of us take for granted: a reliable vehicle.

In 2006, the Bray’s oldest daughter, Nadjah, appeared on Food Network’s “Chopped Jr.” She said that if she won, she wanted to cook a meal for her family in a restaurant and purchase a service dog trained in dealing with children with autism. She did win, and in November JRCE gave her a chef coat and she worked alongside the culinary team at The Precinct to prepare a meal for her family. Following dessert was something much sweeter than anyone could have prepared: the gift of a trained service dog.

Since that memorable night, the JRCE has stayed in touch with the Bray family and now knows them better. Things they have learned: Due to the youngest Bray children’s health challenges, Dwan is unable to work outside the home. In addition to homeschooling her two school-aged children, she provides full-time care to her youngest three. Aaron, who has a full-time job, often must take unpaid leave for medical emergencies.

The twins are seen at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and Medical Center three times a week. Ny’Leah is seen several times a month. And their former 2003 minivan was unreliable. However, medical expenses made owning a newer vehicle impossible.

So JRCE gave themselves a challenge: procure a new van for the Bray family. They did, and quickly.

Dan Bell of Mercedes Benz Fort Mitchell shaking his hand. 

Mercedes-Benz of Fort Mitchell volunteered to help after a single email. They gave the Bray family a new van to keep, forever.

Ruby Miller with her children and one of the Bray children. 

“The Brays have come into our hearts forever,” says Britney Ruby Miller, president of Jeff Ruby Culinary Entertainment. "From the moment we met them, there was a special bond. We feel a deep connection to them and have truly become lifelong friends. It wasn’t a ‘one and done’ type of impact we wanted to leave. We want them to know we love them and are here to support them through their struggles.”

Miller says businesses are only as strong as the community they reside in.


“It’s important for JRCE to make the most of the platform we have been given,” she says.

“For my brothers and I particularly, it’s something that has been engrained in us by our parents since we were little kids. And it is more than something we strive to do—it’s more of a responsibility we feel we have. Supporting the community is as important to our family as offering impeccable service, a superior product and being profitable. If the business aspect is our left hand, community outreach is our right hand.”

Provided.