Elaine Shehab

Elaine Cortés Founder Elaine is married to Ignacio Cortés, CEO and the 3rd generation Cortés Chocolate Manufacturing family. She completed her Bachelors in Boston College in 1979. She worked at her family’s 60 year retail fashion operation for many years. Elaine comes from the fashion world and brings experience in sales and passion and action in everything she sets her mind to. For many years with her husband, Ignacio Cortés, they had been playing with the idea of opening a chocolate concept. After studying as many chocolate stores around the world as she could she decided that they should to create a unique concept where the world could learn about this Caribbean family’s chocolate history and enjoy and experience their chocolate. This family has been manufacturing chocolate from bean to bar for almost a century. She wanted a restaurant where Cortés chocolate in all its forms would be the starring role Together with her husband, she put together a very successful team where design, history, excellent food and service helped create The Cortés experience. Elaine is the creative mind behind Chocobar Cortés. Also cofounder of Fundación Cortés a 501 c 3 non-profit organization Established in 2012, Fundación Cortés is a private non- profit organization that seeks to promote the strengthening of the values of our people through art and humanities. Fundación Cortés has started a philanthropic legacy through an active commitment to education using the visual arts as an aid to raise awareness about our values, about our identity as people and instill feelings of trust that promote positive and strengthening changes in the spirit of the Puerto Rican and Caribbean community.