Chef Jorge De Leon came from humble beginnings, he spent most of his time in his grandmother’s kitchen, where she was constantly cooking up new savory dishes from her homeland Guatemala. Jorge graduated from the California school of Culinary Arts Le Cordon Bleu in Pasadena California.
He worked at Miraval Resorts in Tucson, Arizona as a cook. The skills he learned at Miraval Resorts allowed him to make his jump to The Ritz Carlton Hotels, becoming chef the partie at the Garde Manger kitchen working with his mentor Chef David Sirus, executive chef at the Ritz Carlton Dove Mountain.
Jorge opened a restaurant in Tubac, Arizona called Havanero’s with a Mexican-American concept and moved up opening his own concept called GM Kitchen 86, blending all the techniques and different cooking flavors he learned from the French, Mexican, and American cuisines.
In his spare time chef Jorge enjoys traveling to different parts of the world. Every meal he creates reflects these values, providing not only excellent taste, but also nourishment for the mind and body.
Host: Dr. Nadia Alvarez, Ph.D. Teaching and Teacher Education
Production and Engineering: Gwendoline Hernandez Nenny G of KXCI’s The Latin Connection
Music: Danza imposible by The Impossible Orchestra & Alondra de la Parra. Arturo Márquez, Composer.
