Chef Drew VanLeuvan

Chef Drew VanLeuvan


Why is sourcing local and or organic produce important to you & your restaurant?Sourcing local and organic produce ensures that we are always providing the freshest and most seasonal products to our customers. Using local ingredients gives you better quality ingredients that are better for you; my responsibility as a Chef is to ensure that our guests are receiving and enjoying the highest quality in ingredients that we are able to provide.
If you were a farmer what would you raise or grow?
I would focus on what crops that thrive in the climate I am living in. I am a novice gardener and grow produce throughout the year. In the south, we have such a mild climate, it’s great for produce.
What one seasoning can you not live without? Fennel Seed
What should every kitchen not be without? [ie: type of knife, pan, olive oil, etc]
A Japanese Slicer
What chef or person inspired you to enter the culinary world? Jean Louis Palladin, my mentor.
What celebrity or historical figure would you most want to serve a meal to?
Jean Louis Palladin – I would like to show him how my time working with him has influenced me, my cooking and how I work in the kitchen.
Where and with whom would be your ideal location for your last supper? What would you eat, drink and listen to?The ideal location for my last supper would be on a Lighthouse Beach in Cape Cod, with my daughter. We would start with Jean Louis’ Chestnut Soup, followed by Heirloom Tomatoes and Melons with a sweet and savory granita. Our third course would be a slice of cheese pizza from A&J Pizza in Queens, and finish with a warm Krispy Kreme glazed doughnut. I would also enjoy a bottle of red from St. Emilion, France – preferably from 1994.
Connecticut native and Atlanta local Drew VanLeuvan brings 16 years of experience to ONE.midtown kitchen, a Concentrics concept that lead the restaurant resurgence to Midtown as well as helped elevate the Atlanta culinary scene to national recognition.  Chef VanLeuvan began cooking while enrolled at the University of Massachusetts. Cooking became his passion and he eventually found himself behind the stove much more than behind a desk and, as he says, “the rest is history.” Chef VanLeuvan went on to graduate from the Culinary Institute of America in 2000. Following graduation, Chef VanLeuvan perfected his skills while apprenticing under some of the world’s best Chefs including Jean Louis Palladin, Guenter Seeger, Wylie Dufresne, Joel Antunes, Sam Mason and Chef Mark Dommen. In 2004 Chef VanLeuvan served as Executive Chef at Atlanta’s acclaimed Toast Restaurant where he was recognized as a “Chef on the Rise” by Food and Wine Magazine. Following his stint at Toast, Van Leuvan became executive chef at Spice Restaurant where he received 3 stars from both the Atlanta Journal Constitution and Creative Loafing. In 2006, Chef VanLeuvan was appointed Executive Chef of Saga Restaurant where he was given the “Rising Star Award” by StarChefs.com and “most memorable plate of 2007” by Creative Loafing. He is the previous owner of Pan De Mie Pasta Company, one of two hand-made past companies in Atlanta.
Chef VanLeuvan is a member of the Jean Louis Palladin Foundation, Slow Food and Chefs Collaborative. When Chef VanLeuvan has time away from the kitchen, he likes to spend it with his daughter, Kayden, and wife, Kellie, in their Ormewood Park home. He also enjoys working in his garden and utilizing his homegrown vegetables in his dishes.

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