Chef Chuy Valencia

I was born and raised in Sonoma County to a family of hard working Mexican immigrants who grew our food in the backyard and always had a pot of something mouthwatering simmering on the stove. After graduating from the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco in 2005, I moved to Chicago to work at Frontera Grill under famed Chef Rick Bayless. I then went to work as Chef de Cuisine for Adobo Grill for their two locations in Chicago. In late 2009 I opened Chilam Balam in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago to local and national acclaim that led me to be on Bravo TV's Top Chef Season 9 as well as on Food TV’s Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. In 2013 I moved back to Sonoma County and began to focus on food and wine pairing by working with local private chefs and caterers. This led to a four year stint working as a Chef d’ Partie for Silver Oak Cellars where I worked with the Executive Winery Chef on creating and leading the food and wine pairing experience. I now look forward to offering my 20 plus years of experience to make sure your next event is memorable and, most of all, delicious.