Edward Leonard, CMC, Director of Culinary Operations and Executive Chef at The Polo Club of Boca Raton (Fla.), believes the road ahead will be turbulent, but that chefs are resilient and will innovate in the face of uncertainty.
Real Men Eat Quiche—A Lesson In Banquet Menus
For Edward Leonard, CMC, Director of Culinary Operations and Executive Chef at The Polo Club of Boca Raton (Fla.), being able to think quickly on his feet during a banquet event might have saved his culinary career.
Let This Be Your Resolve
Edward Leonard, CMC, Director of Culinary Operations and Executive Chef at The Polo Club of Boca Raton (Fla.), offers advice to strengthen your resolve as a chef, a mentor and a person.
For the Love of all Things Culinary
Edward Leonard, CMC, Director of Culinary Operations and Executive Chef at The Polo Club of Boca Raton (Fla.), lives only to cook.
How Mentoring Will Solve Our Labor Challenges
We hear the term “culinary education” routinely used to explain those embarking on a career in the craft of cookery. But what exactly does “education” mean? To most of us, it has something to do with higher learning, where a student gains knowledge about a variety of subjects before focusing on a single subject. But…
What Being Fueled by Passion Really Means
For Edward Leonard, CMC, Director of Culinary Operations and Executive Chef of The Polo Club of Boca Raton (Fla.), passion moves him forward. It fuels his work. It fuels his team’s work. And he believes it fuels the work of many of the club industry’s most talented players. It is time here at The Polo…
Change is Needed and Change is Coming
Edward Leonard, CMC, Director of Culinary Operations and Executive Chef of The Polo Club of Boca Raton (Fla.) believes chefs need to offer their cooks a better work-life balance. So you want to be a cook, a chef, run a restaurant, own a restaurant, or perhaps work in the kitchen of a club, resort or hotel.…
It’s Not Just About Certification—It’s About Learning
Edward Leonard, Director of Culinary Operations and Executive Chef at The Polo Club of Boca Raton, believes certification furthers learning—and that’s what matters most. I recently read Joanna DeChellis’ Editor’s Memo on certification and it caused me to pause and ponder the age-old debate about certification. In her piece, she asks if being certified will make the member…
Why We Do Research and Development Sessions
Executive Chef Edward Leonard, CMC, uses annual “R&D” sessions to improve the food, menus, restaurants and staff at The Polo Club of Boca Raton. Research & Development—or “R&D” as I call it—is not only for chain restaurants, manufacturers or big food companies. In fact, it’s perfect for clubs or any type of culinary operation. Throughout my…
Seven Keys to Culinary Excellence
Edward Leonard, CMC, Director of Culinary Operations and Executive Chef at The Polo Club of Boca Raton (Fla.), strives to be the best by following these seven guidelines. I have been fortunate to travel the world and both work with and train under some excellent cooks and chefs who operate well above average and constantly…