Michael Vo – Director of Operations & Partner at CIEL Restaurant and Lounge For Luxury Trending
Michael Vo is a tenured industry professional with over 15 years of experience directing the planning and management of multi-million dollar restaurant and food service operations. His passions led him to complete his education at The University of Houston Conrad Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant. His experience includes leadership and General Manager roles at various restaurant and lounge concepts. He has also led the creation and preparation of multiple new restaurant opening teams and have been involved with over fifteen new restaurant openings. He aspires to create an iconic concept with CIEL that can scale into a multi-unit brand, globally.
Through his experience, Michael takes the most pride in his ability to mentor and develop leaders in the industry. With the focus on development of the people, building outstanding cultures in an organization naturally plays its course. Michael believes in the importance of a company’s values leading the everyday decisions of the team members. A very important value that Michael believes in is the commitment to growth. “Though we may be better today than we were yesterday, we are not as good as we must become.” This quote resonates with Michael as he continues to push himself and his team to continue growth day after day, year after year.
Growing up in Alief, a very diverse community in Houston, Michael understood the importance of collaboration at a young age. With a love for football and team sports, it was easy to grasp the concept of a Team. “I loved growing up in the area I did because it taught me to believe in people. I’ve met so many amazing people that have made such a great impact in my life. It is very hard to find someone that grew up in Alief that is not excited to see one of their own flourishing in their life and career. When I see a friend that I have not seen in years doing something amazing, I have a proud feeling that comes from within. I also hear that many people are proud of where I am now, because we all knew the path we had to take to take us here. I am thankful for the upbringing my parents gave me and the values they taught me while I was growing up”
Michael enjoys traveling to different destinations around the world whenever there is downtime. Hong Kong and Paris, France are a few of his favorite places to visit around the world. One of his most beloved hobbies is to attend the Fifa World Cup every four years with his fiance Debbie Nguyen. “We have been to three world cups now and plan on making this a tradition for the rest of our lives.” In addition to traveling together, Michael spends most of his time with Debbie, Sophie and Layla, their two lovely dogs that have been through it all together. “All the success in my life has been impacted positively by my fiance Debbie. Without her, I would not be able to grow to the person I am today. I am grateful to have someone so influential and loving by my side. We continue to challenge each other every day to grow and be the best version of ourselves.”
The festive and culinary focused experience at CIEL has helped Michael experience hospitality in a new multi faceted way. He is excited to add a new concept to the cultural landscape of Houston and make you “dream a bit and live through the perfect dinner party”.
CIEL. A festive restaurant and lounge with an energetic vibe and live music and entertainment in the evenings. CIEL offers a sophisticated menu featuring modern Japanese and French Cuisine complemented by craft cocktails and a curated champagne and wine selection. A destination environment to eat, drink, meet and socialize.
“Our mission is to create an unforgettable culinary experience for our guests by combining distinguished food, extraordinary service, and a world class atmosphere.”
With an inventive French and Japanese menu that places a premium on fresh, sustainable ingredients for dishes featuring fresh fish imported daily from Japan and New Zealand, a range of upper 2/3 prime steak cuts sourced from a local grass fed and grain farm, premium non-GMO caviar, multiple sushi options, raw bar staples and lofty approaches to familiar favorites.
Entering the main dining room, guests will discover a meticulously appointed interior boasting the first- ever 360-degree Barrisol Mirror ceiling fixture in Houston – created to mitigate the room’s acoustics – along with a heavy focus on modern art and technological bells-and-whistles. Think: striking light fixtures above imported Italian porcelain floors and marbled tables varying in size that perfectly complement the deep-blue channeled velvet booths and assortment of navy, cream and dusty-rose chairs custom-made for the 240-seat main dining room.
In a nod to the French word for sky from which CIEL derives its name, a dramatic statue depicting Zeus – designed and hand-painted by acclaimed Mexican artist Karla de Lara as an homage to the Greek God of the Sky – serves as a central focal point while three oversized paintings by renowned French artist Philippe Shangti and notable works by additional contemporary artists adorn the walls.
“We were very excited to deliver a concept like this to Houston. With inspirations from the South of France, we focused on creating something very unique that would make sense in the Houston market. I thoroughly enjoyed the journey we took to get to this point. It started with two years of amazing collaboration with Faisal Tai, Ryan Henry, Adel Sadek and Fabrizio Baranzano. Many days and nights of different ideas, thoughts, discussions, adjusting, and pivoting. Amongst all those decisions that were made, we all made them as a team. There were many details in operations, sound, space, look, feel, taste that we all had to work through. There was one principle that we all believed in and that was that the people that we bring into this organization will be the reason why we will be able to grow and scale our brand year after year.”
Make-Up Artist: ALEX MASON @alexreigh
Hair Stylist: TAKIA SCOTT @sophisticatedimages
Creative Director: ROSALINA TRAN LYDSTER @rosalinalydster
Jewelry By: BIJOUX BY ROSALINA @bijouxbyrosalina
Rosalina’s Assistant: JASMINE NGUYEN and CHIEU ANH NGUYEN
BTS Photographer: BRANDON JAMES @man.behindthecam
Videographer Assistant: VANESSA HERBRUGER
Copy Editor: KIEDO VILLANUEVA @kei_villanueva
Art Director: NIGEL JOHN DEL MUNDO @nigeldelmundo
Public Relations: RASHENA FRANKLIN
Executive Producer: QIANA JAMES @qianajames
Photographer: VINCENT GOTTI @vinniegotti
Photographed at: CIEL Restaurant & Lounge in Houston TX @cielhtx