— EST. 2024 · TEXAS
Three chefs.
One origin.
La Union is a hospitality collective built by Natera, Torres, and Erales — three chefs from the same border city who each reached the top of their track, then decided to build the next one together.
Kitchens built. Concepts owned.
We operate five tracks — management, consulting, licensing, culinary IP, and media. Each runs on one principle: we only put our names on work we’d stand behind in our own dining rooms.
Meet the Chefs
Behind everything we do is a team of people who truly care. We bring our full selves to the table—open-minded, collaborative, and ready to make something great.
— 01 / OPERATIONS & LEADERSHIP
— 02 / CULINARY IP & CONCEPT
— 03 / CHEF-DRIVEN CONCEPTS
Rico Torres
RESTAURANT
Mixtli, San Antonio — opened 2013
RATING
MICHELIN Guide · One Star (2024, 2025)
HONOR
Food & Wine Best New Chef, 2017
HONOR
James Beard Finalist — Outstanding Restaurant (2024), Outstanding Hospitality (2025)
HONOR
James Beard Semifinalist — 2018, 2022, 2025
Progressive Mexican, region-rotating menu
MEDIA
Hulu · Taste the Nation, premiere episode
NONPROFIT
Gabe Erales
TITLE
Winner — Bravo Top Chef, Season 18
LINEAGE
Noma Mexico under René Redzepi
Chef-led teams to Esquire and Texas Monthly Best New Restaurant · Founder, Bacalar — Austin
PARTNER
Ometeo, Tysons VA — upscale Tex-Mex
EDUCATION
Le Cordon Bleu · MAD Academy, Copenhagen
ROOTS
El Paso native · Yucatán heritage
André Natera
Food & Wine · Forbes Travel Guide · Michelin Guide · Bravo · James Beard Fdn. · Washingtonian · Dallas Morning News
Under wraps.
Every active engagement is bound by an NDA. When our partners are ready, the work will speak for itself — until then, a slate of silhouettes.
All under NDA.
Our current slate is confidential until partners are ready to announce. A placeholder index lives here until they are.