Gregory León

Chef Gregory León was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and raised in Venezuela, where food, family, and culture were inseparable at the kitchen table. After returning to the United States, he relocated to San Francisco in 1994, spending 18 years cooking in acclaimed restaurants including Poesia, Mirtille, and Horatius. During this time, he traveled extensively through Spain and Portugal, developing a deep, enduring connection to the cuisines of the Iberian Peninsula that would later define his culinary voice.
In 2012, León moved to Milwaukee and launched Amilinda as a pop-up in 2013, opening its brick-and-mortar restaurant in 2015. The restaurant quickly earned local and national recognition, including three stars from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and inclusion on Thrillist’s 21 Best New Restaurants in America. For nearly a decade, Amilinda has remained a fixture on Eater’s must-visit lists and has become a pillar of Milwaukee’s culinary scene—shaping the city’s dining culture, mentoring generations of cooks, and serving as a creative hub for collaboration and community. In 2025, Amilinda celebrated its 10-year anniversary, marking a decade of sustained excellence, relevance, and leadership.
Chef León is a two-time James Beard Award finalist for Best Chef: Midwest (2022, 2023) and a two – time semifinalist for Outstanding Chef (2024, 2025). Central to his leadership is a philosophy that challenges traditional kitchen hierarchies. One long-standing “rule” he intentionally breaks is the notion that the Executive Chef should be the sole creative voice behind the menu. At Amilinda, León actively invites his Sous Chefs, Chef de Cuisine, and Chefs de Partie to contribute ideas, techniques, and dishes. His role is to guide, edit, and refine those contributions so they align with the restaurant’s identity, seasonality, and standards—not to silence them. This collaborative approach fosters ownership, trust, and professional growth, and many of Amilinda’s most successful dishes have emerged from shared dialogue rather than a single authorial voice.
Beyond the kitchen, León is deeply committed to mentorship and community advocacy. He has helped launch and shape the careers of numerous chefs and hospitality professionals, emphasizing leadership through generosity rather than ego. In 2019, he co-founded Tables Across Borders, a collaborative dining series that provides refugee chefs a platform to share their cuisine, with 100% of ticket sales going directly to the guest cooks. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he helped launch Hungry Hearts, a community-driven initiative that supported struggling restaurants while feeding those in need. He continues to open Amilinda’s doors to chef-led pop-ups, reinforcing a culture of inclusivity and collaboration within Milwaukee’s food industry.
A proud advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, Chef León uses his platform to elevate queer voices in the culinary world. Amilinda is intentionally designated as a safe space, where equity, representation, and belonging are foundational values.
Through an ever-evolving menu rooted in Iberian tradition and guided by mentorship, shared creativity, and purpose, Chef Gregory León continues to make a lasting and meaningful impact on Milwaukee’s culinary landscape and the people who shape it.