Today we’d like to introduce you to Leon Gomez.
Hi Leon, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My culinary journey started back in 2008 when I moved to London to learn English and needed a job to pay for my living. I started working as a Food Runner and Expo at the highly acclaimed Chutney Mary Indian Restaurant. While there, I decided to quit Biomedical Engineering (the career I was currently enrolled in back in Colombia) to focus on this new dream and continue growing and learning more about this incredible passion and love I had for cooking.
In 2011 I enrolled at the Mausi Sebess in Buenos Aires, Argentina, for my Culinary Arts Degree. I had the fantastic but challenging opportunity to study and work abroad. I was in my mid-twenties and had so much energy and vitality inside me that I would go to school in the morning, work as a cook during the afternoon, and as a promoter at night for the same venue. After graduating in 2013, I got an internship at the Sofitel Hotel in Miami, so I decided to settle and start a career in this incredible city.
Since I moved to Miami, I have had the opportunity to work at the best restaurants in the city, such as Toscana Divino in Mary Brickell Village, Coya Miami, and Marion. I worked for Brava inside the Arsht Center of Performing Arts for three years under Brad Kilgore’s mentorship. In addition, I worked for him at Alter and Kaido while open.
July of 2019 was an inflection point in my life because I decided to risk all and jump on a new personal adventure to become a business owner and start working as a Private Chef. With this decision came many challenges for me as I was a rookie in the entrepreneurship world. However, this life choice was one of the best things that have ever happened to me because it made me grow professionally and personally. Being consistent, respecting my clients, and delivering the best experience possible, have been the keys to my success.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has not been a smooth road at all, being an entrepreneur is a self-taught art, each industry or path you take has its own ups and downs, risks, challenges. I started with zero clients, nobody knew me as a Private Chef, I only had my knives bad and some savings to start, so creating myself a name in the industry and getting more and more clients has been a struggle for sure.
At the very beginning, I would go weeks without a single gig, I had no idea on know how to price out my work, I did not know where to get the best produce for the best price, sometimes I would not even make money out of my gigs, but being persistent and not losing my faith kept me in business.
At the same time, I was so sick of that restaurant life, schedules, working conditions, remuneration that any effort or struggle would be welcomed in order to become independent and change my life for good.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
CHEF LEON LLC was born in 2019 out of pure desire to change my reality. I do everything related to Private Dinners, Catering, Yacht Charters, Corporate Events, etc.
Every client has its own menu, personalized to their taste, budget, and expectations. I specialize in Multi Course Tasting Menus, creating an immersive culinary experience for my guests, flowing through different types of cuisine to awake your taste buds to another level. I bring the pleasure of Fine Dinning to your home or yacht.
When you hire Chef Leon, you will not only have amazing food. We will take care of every single detail to make sure you and your guests are 200% satisfied and will never forget the experience.
I am proud to say that I have regular clients, worked for NBA and MLB athletes watching their diets, I have clients that became friends and I have the social ability to create a bond between my brand and my clients.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
I am constantly looking for new talent, the brand needs to keep expanding and I wouldn’t be able to do it without my team. Most of the people that work with me simply reached out on Social Media and directly asked for a Job. If I give you an opportunity and you have great attitude, you are for sure gonna be considered, skills can be taught, attitude comes from the inside.
I love collaborating with different brands that are belong to a similar industry, as I have done in the past with @joshpremiummetas @tartufo.prestige or @vertoku.knives. If someone who is reading this article thinks I fit the profile to collaborate, do not hesitate to reach out.
Contact Info:
- Email: cheleonllc@gmail.com
- Website: www.chefleonllc.com
- Instagram: @chef_leongomez
Image Credits
@jeroarias
