Michael Cordua, one of Texas's most respected and celebrated restaurateurs, is owner and executive chef at seven award-winning Houston-area restaurants. Since making his debut in 1988, Cordua has been recognized as a pioneer of South American cuisine and has received national acclaim for his creative ideas and artful presentation. He was named one of America's Top Ten Chefs by Food & Wine and is the only Texas chef to be inducted into the Food & Wine Hall of Fame. A native Houstonian, David Cordua, was raised around food. His work in the kitchen began at age fifteen at his family's Américas restaurant. After graduating from the University of Santa Clara with a degree in finance, Cordúa moved to France, where he attended culinary school at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. Upon his return to the states, Cordúa tackled the California Bay Area and returned to Texas in 2007 to open the Cordúa group's second Américas. In 2009 he was made Cordúa's executive chef of development.
