i. Biography
After more than eight years living abroad, the return to Proyecto Ubre gave the cooking a fixed point: a tasting-menu restaurant built around lamb from a single source. In Isaam Koteich’s case, Pedro Khalil’s encouragement to stay led to Cordero, where the farm relationship became the working structure rather than a supplier note.
The Making
The Executive Chef role at Cordero, held by Isaam Koteich since 2022, is built on origin, repetition, and control. The cooking does not rely on spectacle; it works through sourcing discipline, measured execution, and a menu that uses place as material without turning it into theme. At Cordero, the tasting-menu format is narrowed by design. Lamb is the central thread, and the craft question is how far one ingredient can be extended across preparations, textures, temperatures, and references without losing coherence. Koteich’s work sits in that constraint.
The Current Work
The menu’s structure comes from lamb sourced from Proyecto Ubre, which gives the restaurant a clear point of origin and a practical limit. In Koteich’s hands, that connection is treated as the base of the work: raw preparations, richer expressions, and slower cooking methods are sequenced to build continuity across the tasting menu. Nayyeh, a raw kibbeh made with lamb sweetbreads, cured loin, and red-pepper cream, shows the handling of contrast inside a familiar form. Presented by Koteich during a dinner with Jaime Rodríguez, the dish keeps the raw preparation direct while using sweetbreads for richness, cured loin for concentration, and red-pepper cream for lift. Lamb stew with dried Goajiro shrimp rice in coconut juice, described as the star of the evening at the same four-hands dinner, places lamb as the center of the plate and lets the rice widen the register. The dried Goajiro shrimp rice in coconut juice adds aroma and another line of flavor without pulling the dish away from the restaurant’s central focus. The farm-centered framework also allows for dishes that move through adjacent traditions and textures. For the “Juntos” dinner, Koteich’s mograbieh with beef secreto cooked in chicken and lamb jus, cardamom oil, and eggplant purée with cashew layered richness, spice, and softness while keeping the construction disciplined.
Distinctions
Isaam Koteich has received The Best Chef Awards: Two Knives (2025). Recognition for the work includes Ranked No. 29 on Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants (2025), The American Express One To Watch Award (2023), and Two Knives.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Isaam
What does Isaam Koteich do now?
Isaam Koteich is chef at Cordero.
What recognition has Isaam Koteich received?
Ranked No. 29 on Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants (2025).
What is Isaam Koteich known for?
Lamb-focused tasting-menu cuisine at Cordero, built around lamb sourced from Proyecto Ubre.
