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Jonnatan Leiva brings a blend of refined technique and international perspective to Jack Falstaff, located in San Francisco’s vibrant South of Market district, neighboring art galleries, trendy loft spaces and the ballpark. As executive chef, Leiva lends his creative, yet discerning eye to the ever-changing menu of fresh, local dishes, in addition to managing all aspects of the restaurant's day-to-day kitchen operations.
Leiva became interested in cooking as a boy while watching his grandmother prepare her authentic Spanish cuisine. Impressed by the love that she put into it, he soon realized that this passion translated into the flavors of each dish. He also realized how food managed to bring people together which, in addition to his love of eating, inspired his training in the culinary arts.
Leiva’s style focuses on clean, crisp, balanced flavors and keeping the purity and integrity of each ingredient. He utilizes modern techniques to create elements of surprise in classic dishes -- from his tuna tartare to his Long & Bailey Farms young pig, served three ways. He enjoys creating a balance of salty, sour, sweet and bitter and equates each dish to a canvas where he can let the flavors speak for themselves, never compromising flavor for presentation.
A veteran of such esteemed restaurants as La Palme D’Or at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, Florida, Apicious and Les Elyssees Hotel Vernet in Paris, Union Pacific in New York, the Ruby Room in Boston, as well as Boulevard and Incanto in San Francisco, Leiva has learned the art of cooking from some of the world’s masters. In 2008, Leiva was selected as one of the San Francisco Chronicle’s “Rising Star” chefs for his innovative Modern American cuisine at Jack Falstaff. The prestigious accolade, bestowed on just six chefs, is awarded annually to young Bay Area chefs that have national influence and inject new energy into the local culinary scene.
Flavored by his travels, but rooted in his formal training at the California Culinary Academy, Leiva’s distinctive and dynamic style is sure to dazzle the palates of Jack Falstaff diners.
Leiva currently resides in San Francisco, California.
Premios, Reconocimientos, y Sociedades
2008 Rising Star Chef, San Francisco Chronicle
Chef Estados Unidos
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