February 2026
Full Circle: From UTRGV Graduate to UT Health RGV Cancer & Surgery Center Partner
How a biology degree, a two-door fridge, and an unshakable mission led Fork to Fit back to where it all began.
Some moments in life stop you in your tracks. For Alex Velasco, founder of Fork to Fit Kitchen, opening inside the UT Health RGV Cancer & Surgery Center was one of those moments. Standing inside a world-class medical facility—built by the same university that shaped his career—the significance was impossible to ignore: this is what coming full circle feels like.
Where It Started
Velasco graduated from UTRGV in May 2016 with a Bachelor of Science in Biology. During his time there, he conducted research under Dr. Debasish Bandyopadhyay, MSc, PhD, MRSC, working in his organic chemistry lab. That experience taught him how to think critically, how to question assumptions, and how to pursue understanding at the molecular level. It shaped the way he approaches everything—including how he thinks about food, nutrition, and fueling the human body.
He studied biology because he wanted to understand life. He considered dentistry because he wanted to help people. Then he discovered fitness—and fitness gave him discipline. That discipline gave him clarity. And from that clarity, the vision for Fork to Fit Kitchen was born.
The UTRGV Partnership
What started as a personal connection to the university evolved into a professional partnership. Fork to Fit Kitchen has been supplying meals to UTRGV campuses in Edinburg, Harlingen, and Brownsville—fueling students, faculty, and staff with the same nutritious, made-from-scratch meals served across the Valley.
The fact that the university that educated Velasco now trusts Fork to Fit to nourish its community is more than business. It's purpose meeting opportunity.
The Full Circle Moment
Then came the opportunity to open inside the UT Health RGV Cancer & Surgery Center—a state-of-the-art, 185,000-square-foot facility at 1400 N Commerce Center St in McAllen. This center is revolutionizing cancer care in the Rio Grande Valley, bringing comprehensive oncology, surgery, diagnostic imaging, and rehabilitation services under one roof.
On the third floor, Fork to Fit Kitchen has a home. The team serves patients, families, doctors, nurses, and staff—people in one of the most critical environments of their lives. Providing nutritious, high-quality meals in a place where health matters most isn't just an opportunity. It's a responsibility Velasco doesn't take lightly.
"To be invited back here—to this university, to this community—is one of the most humbling, full-circle moments of my life."
Invited Back to Inspire
In May 2025, Velasco was invited back to UTRGV to deliver the keynote speech at the Ring Ceremony at the Edinburg Performing Arts Complex. Standing at the podium, looking out at students who reminded him of himself—hungry, determined, carrying a quiet fire—he shared the truth no one tells you: the struggle is the process.
He told them about building Fork to Fit from a two-door fridge in a gym. About surviving COVID with grit and a small team. About growing to 10 locations and serving over 3.5 million meals across the Rio Grande Valley. But he also told them that numbers don't tell the full story. What matters is why they did it—to revolutionize how the world eats, to make health accessible, not exclusive.
He reminded them that UTRGV didn't just educate him—it equipped him. It believed in him when all he had were dreams and discipline. And even after graduation, the university continued to open doors—trusting him to give back in ways he never imagined possible.
From the Speech
"From offering our meals on campus to establishing the first-ever hospital café at the UT Health RGV Cancer and Surgery Center, to giving us the opportunity to serve UTRGV athletes—a partnership that continues to this day. This place gave me the space to grow—and then the chance to serve."
— Alex Velasco, UTRGV Ring Ceremony, May 7, 2025
About UT Health RGV Cancer & Surgery Center
The UT Health RGV Cancer & Surgery Center is a groundbreaking facility that brings comprehensive cancer care to the Rio Grande Valley. Services include surgical oncology, medical oncology, radiation oncology, diagnostic imaging, infusion therapy, and rehabilitation—all under one roof. It represents a transformative investment in the health of the community.
For Fork to Fit Kitchen, being part of this facility means something deeper than a business location. It means the student who walked UTRGV's halls as a biology major is now feeding the people who heal the community. That's not just growth. That's purpose.
The Mission Continues
From a single-door fridge in a gym to 10 locations across the Valley. From a biology lab to a hospital café. From student to keynote speaker. Every step has been connected by a single thread: the belief that health should be accessible to everyone.
Fork to Fit Kitchen is the generation that fixes things. Purpose over profit. A mission to serve that will always win.
"Build the future. Rise together. And show the world how a mission to serve will always win."
Visit us at UT Health RGV Cancer & Surgery Center
Fork to Fit Kitchen is located on the 3rd floor of the UT Health RGV Cancer & Surgery Center at 1400 N Commerce Center St, McAllen, TX. Open Monday–Friday, 9am–2pm.