Leon’s Announces New Exec Chef, Promises Menu Changes
Decatur Metro | July 2, 2015 | 4:11 pmFrom a Leon’s press release sent out today…
Leon’s Full Service in downtown Decatur, Georgia is pleased to welcome Cameron Octigan as its new Executive Chef. Octigan is a passionate and innovative chef with more than 10 years of culinary experience. His creative approach to using local and seasonal ingredients will bring a new dimension to this neighborhood favorite.
Growing up in Florida, Cameron always helped with the cooking because his mom worked nights or early mornings. His first paid job was at Crabby Tom’s in Brandon, FL. “We were out in the country, where there wasn’t much else to do, but we always found fun. Tridents for frogs, machetes for walks, and cornmeal for fish.” This fondness for adventure and his love of the kitchen led him to pursue his passion for cooking.
A graduate of Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Los Angeles, California, Octigan has had a career that spanned the country – from the West Coast at Blair’s and Cook’s County in LA to the East Coast at Momofuku and Selamat Pagi in New York. While the “local” locale has changed, his focus on farm-to-table cuisine never wavered. The birth of his son in 2013 brought Octigan home to Atlanta, where he worked at Ford Fry’s St. Cecilia and No. 246 before joining Leon’s Full Service.
“I love Atlanta. My family is here. This is our home,” says Octigan. “I want to focus on the great produce grown and meat raised in our state at local farms, and on bringing that product to our community in interesting ways at a price and in an environment that is accessible for everyone.”
“Leon’s is about to make some changes. Some you may notice, some not. We will continue with an even greater focus on local foods, a more international and yet focused menu, but always thinking of ways to make great food that you love to go with drinks you love,” says Octigan. While menu favorites like the warm chickpea cherry salad and the brisket with frites won’t be going anywhere anytime soon, you can expect new items like Painted Hills beef tartare and a baked half Grassroots Farm chicken cooked to order with a skin so crispy you would swear it was fried. Octigan’s sense of adventure also shines through with new menu items of pigtail with peach grastrique and coleslaw, and a cioppino – a stew with market fresh fish and shellfish.
Joining Octigan in the kitchen is Sous Chef Jeff Sellers, who has been with Leon’s since it opened in 2009. “We have an amazing team of young and talented professionals in our kitchen, and we are thrilled to have Chef Octigan on as our Executive Chef to lead their efforts,” says Ryan Gallagher, Partner in LEON’s Full Service. “We have always strived to support our local farms and producers, and procure the freshest local ingredients for our patrons. Chef’s passion and commitment to farm-to-table, seasonally-inspired fare will enhance the menu as well as the customer experience, and really let us start having fun with food again.”
Photo courtesy of Dennis
More vegetarian options please!
+2
+10, with vegan options as well.
Yes, please include more vegetarian options!
The chick pea salad is TERRIFIC, please don’t remove that one from your menu. And, yes, more vegetarian options, please, e.g., plain steamed vegetables with no sauces unless served separately. (Hint: see The Grit menu in Athens.)
This is good news. Leon’s has needed a revamp of its food menu for quite some time. The Brick Store could use a good food menu revamp, too (yes, yes, I know criticizing TBS is heresy for us locals, but it had to be said).
There is a vegetarian menu (as well as a gluten free menu) available on request. Chef has also just added two great veggie items to the menu – okra & tomato and summer squash.
It would help to just make this available without the request part. Not sure why it has to be a secret.
Why on EARTH would you keep your vegetarian menu SECRET? You might be very surprised at how many people would be delighted to have those menu choices – I know I would!
Secret menu items are cool. And they’re even cooler when they’re not vegetarian. Now I want a Meat Mountain!
http://time.com/3192955/arbys-secret-menu-meat-mountain/
What a crazy way to do business. I’ve opted out of Leon’s numerous times for lack of vegetarian options.
Yeah, from a business perspective maybe it’s not so bad losing out on individual vegetarians, but restaurants without legitimate vegetarian entrees can miss out on whole groups of people with 1 or 2 vegetarians in the group.
Much needed. A few weeks ago I had a side of “spring vegetables'” at Leon’s, which conjured a mental image of bright, snappy, fresh veggies. What came was a horribly over cooked, under seasoned plate of pale green veggie remnants swimming in oil. to me it signaled a distinct indifference to quality in the kitchen.
If your vegan there is little to no food on any menu. So make some
vegan main dishes not just salads and seasonal vegetables. Thanks
Please keep the stuffed peppadews!
Put the fried chicken livers back on the menu! And some MEAT.. while the brisket is great, I need a big, juicy steak every now and then!!