When the theme of your restaurant is storytelling, a server is more than a server. At Credence in Houston, the staff presents dishes with a beginning, a middle and an end – from the chef’s memory that sparked its creation to the way its ingredients transformed from farm to table.
“We see our servers as narrators and our dining room as a stage, with each course acting as a new chapter in a story that celebrates the heritage of the Gulf Coast and South Texas,” says Elliot Wood, the restaurant’s general manager.
The winner of this year’s Michelin Guide Texas Service Award, presented by Capital One, Wood directs an evening worthy of a standing ovation.
At a pre-shift gathering, the team sets the scene, going through each table’s history and preferences. Guests are greeted by name as they walk in the door.
Plot twists are programmed in as the meal progresses, like a visit from the chef with an unexpected course. The front and back of the house are in constant, silent communication, keeping the meal in step with the diner’s pace.
“While our structure ensures precision, our training is less about rigid rules and more about instilling a deeply ingrained ethos. The central message is this: Technical perfection is the expectation, but genuine hospitality is the distinction. How we make our guests feel is what truly matters,” Wood says.
Underpinning the service philosophy is a unique system that ensures both technique and engagement are prioritized. Every table is seen by at least two team members, with one focusing on the mechanics and the other taking lead with the guests, reading their cues to craft the night’s narrative.
“It necessitates a larger team at the table, but it is a non-negotiable part of our model, ensuring a level of detail and personal connection that defines our standard of care,” Wood says.
Wood’s path to his role at Credence is a story with its own cinematic sweep.
“My life in hospitality began before I could properly see over the counter,” he says. “Instead of a typical allowance, I earned my keep standing on a milk crate washing dishes in my father’s San Antonio restaurant. It was there, amidst the clatter of plates and the camaraderie of the kitchen, that I fell in love with this industry.”
Jobs in the kitchen and on the floor followed, as did managerial roles at prominent groups like Ruth’s Chris, Fleming’s and Pappas Bros. Steakhouse, a Houston institution. An interlude designing and building commercial kitchens and owning restaurant concepts followed, before Woods returned to help big name Houston spots through their post-pandemic turnarounds.
As he was developing his own concept around Texas culinary history, he was connected with Chef Levi Goode, the force behind Credence, and “felt an extraordinary sense of alignment.”
“The concept mirrored everything I believed was missing in our market. I knew instantly I had to be a part of it,” Wood says. “I joined in the summer of 2024, just in time to help open the doors, and the rest, as they say, is Texas history.”
Hero image: Jody Horton / Elliot Wood
