Driven. In one word, describes Soraya Rendon, Co-Owner of Chilam Balam. Leaving the security of her family & the solace of home in Mexico City, alone she came to the United States at the young age of 18, intent on achieving the American Dream. With only a couple hundred dollars to her name, she immediately devised plans and set them into action.

Learn English, check. Learn a career, check. Go from earning minimum wage to a salary most of us dream of within 5 years of coming to America, check and check. Some would think she had reached her goal, her American Dream...not Soraya. She had bigger plans, more dreams to fulfill. Chilam Balam is one of those dreams. Soraya hopes you will join and savor with her this next endeavor where she brings a little taste of her old home to yours.

Chuy Valencia was born and raised in Sonoma, California by some very cool parents who grew their own food in the backyard and always had a pot of something delicious simmering on the stove. Growing up, he spent his summers and holiday seasons in his parents' native Colima, Mexico on the family orchard. It was here that little Chuy at the tender age of 8 decided he would be a chef for the rest of his natural life. He was inspired by a love for the ingredients, and the philosophy of "letting nature do the work." When he began working in California's renowned wine country as a cook he started to see the similarities between his family's way of cooking and the California Cuisine movement.

The "farm to table" theme that chefs like Alice Waters and others preserve became in Chuy's words "the only way to cook." Coming to Chicago and working as Sous Chef at the renowned Frontera Grill and Topolobampo reinforced the cultural connection to his food and refined his style. While working as Chef De Cuisine for Adobo Grill he designed menus for the four locations as well as being a key player in the company. At Chilam Balam, Chuy is determined to make his impression by using his childlike creativity and his unique passion for Mexican culture to slowly win all of you over...