Chris Balat

Managing Director

A native Houstonian, Chris Balat grew up in a family with a deep love for savory food, great cooking, and Houston’s cultural vibrancy. That love led him to develop a passion for exquisite cuisine and outstanding dining experiences, setting the foundation for his foray into the hospitality industry.

In 2005, Chris started Balcor Commercial, a premier investment sales firm that focuses on real estate brokerage and development. For the next six years he sought ways to merge this experience with his passion for quality dining, approaching chefs and restaurateurs to bring new, dynamic concepts to life in Houston’s hospitality scene. Those efforts led him to launch Balcor Hospitality in 2011.

In March 2012, Chris partnered with Chef Chris Leung to open Cloud 10 Creamery, generating a new wave of imaginative Houstonian gourmet dessert eating with a contemporary twist. The restaurant opened its first retail location in Rice Village in October 2013, charming casual diners and ice cream connoisseurs alike with its rich, vivacious ice cream flavors. Efforts are already underway to grow to other cities.

In 2012, Chris also engineered the conception and initiation of Parc Binz, a five-story Museum District mixed use development that is bringing three additional restaurants to Houston, two of which are Balcor-backed. He also intends for Balcor to expand beyond creating and updating extraordinary culinary concepts, to truly leave a lasting impression on Houston’s hospitality market and beyond.

Chris looks forward to pioneering new hospitality experiences, enhancing existing ones, and finding new ways to provide exceptional value to every guest.