Chef/Pitmaster Dominique Leach fought her way through the competition and was crowned "Master of 'Cue" on Season 4 of Food Network's BBQ Brawl. Chef Leach instantly put her award-winning south side restaurant Lexington Betty's Smokehouse, located at 756 E. 111 St., on the map. Through 10 grueling episodes, Chef Leach pushed herself, knowing that this was her time to shine.
Many people may not know that Chef Leach received classic culinary training. She worked in some of the most prestigious kitchens in Chicago, alongside award-winning author and chef Raghavan Lyer at The Art Institute Museum as well as James Beard award-winning owner/chef Tony Mantuano and Executive Chef Sarah Grueneberg (Monteverde) at MICHELIN starred Italian restaurant Spiaggia.
The move to Spiaggia was not without sacrifice. Chef Leach wanted to push herself. She was already well respected at The Art Institute Museum when Spiaggia offered her a job for $12 an hour. She had just purchased her first house and knew it would be a struggle, but her heart told her she needed this. In an exclusive interview with Chicago Star, Chef Leach shares, "Something really inside of me said it was the best move to make. I'm so glad I did because it elevated every ounce of my being and made me even more passionate and even more focused and have a better understanding of food. It completely elevated me as a chef!"
The American Wagyu Beef Frank from Chef and Pitmaster Dominique Leach | Courtesy of GAZ Creative Agency
These culinary experiences were invaluable. Chef Leach applies these fine dining techniques she learned in her cooking today. "It's the technique that you can take and turn into whatever your imagination comes up with and I didn't stray far from what I know competing on that show (BBQ Brawl) and that's why I did so well and that's why I won!", shares Chef Leach with Chicago Star.
With BBQ Brawl behind her. What's next for Chef Leach? Should host Bobby Flay be worried about his television job? "I've had conversations with Bobby. He realized that I'm someone who the (Food) Network is probably going to see often moving forward.", says Chef Leach, "He feels like Chicago is really lucky to have me and the sky's the limit. He's just been really encouraging and he's told me I'm part of the family now." Chef Leach went on to share that she has more television opportunities coming in her future, as she discusses three different television show concepts. We can hardly wait to watch Chef Leach on television again.
Chef Leach was also proud to talk about her product line, which includes American Wagyu Beef Franks and Andouille Sausage. Both are available at all of Mariano's locations in Chicagoland. For more info about Chef Dominique Leach and Lexington Betty's Smokehouse, please visit lexingtonbetty.com or call 708.927.5614
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.