Sous Chef – Hershey Grill at Hershey Lodge
I was born in Miami to Cuban parents and I started cooking when I was 14 at Yuca, a very upscale restaurant run by Douglas Rodriques and Guillermo Veloso. Then I went to do my internship with Disney culinary academy.
After completing my schooling I returned to Miami and started a catering company. After 2 years I sold the business and started working for Normans in Coral Gables New World Cuisine. After leaving Normans I worked in Tantra Miami Beach. After 2 years I moved to open Timo’s In sunny isle where I worked under Tim Andriola (an awesome Chef).
Then I opened Cuba Libre Atlantic City as Chef de Cuisine. After opening the restaurant and a short stay of 1 year, I moved to work for Tommy Bahama where I opened the Orlando location and moved to Hershey.
So during my culinary journey I’ve lived in Venezuela and traveled through restaurants in the states and worked for free and learned what I know. To me the most important ingredient is love. If you don’t put love in your food it will not be phenomenal. I love when I see smiles on faces, when people enjoy the food I create.
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October 15, 2008 at 10:03 am
Richard Kenyon
Leonel is probably the most talented person I’ve ever worked with in my culinary career. His demeanor and approach may seem childish at first but I believe this may be a window into his genius. In the words of the legendary Spanish artist Pablo Picasso: “It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child”
I believe passionately that cooking is an art. Through his cooking, Leonel paints a composition that is bright and flavorful. Anyone can follow a recipe and cook like someone else before them. Not everyone is brave enough to serve the raw emotions and flavors that can accompany foods.