Our Story
How it started
Chez Leon carries the name of its founder — and his journey is woven into every dish. Leon was born in Stuttgart, Germany, and spent part of his upbringing in Paris before settling for years in Munich. It was only after relocating to Canada that he found his way into the restaurant world, eventually running his own kitchen there and shaping the technique and discipline that still guide him today.
Florida is where it all came together. After years of cooking across three countries, Leon settled in Tampa and built something entirely his own: a menu of original recipes that blend French bistro tradition with the flavors he picked up along the way. Chez Leon is his first restaurant venture in the United States — and the project that turned a craft into a true passion.
Every dish is made from scratch in our small but mighty kitchen on wheels — from braising beef for hours to whisking béchamel by hand. We brought the techniques of a French bistro into a Florida food truck, and the result is something that feels both familiar and entirely its own.
What we stand for
No shortcuts. Sauces, braises, and dressings are all built in-house, the way a real bistro kitchen would do it.
French technique meets local flavor — maple glazes, butternut squash, and a truck wrapped in hibiscus.
A portion of every sale goes toward feeding our neighbors. Good food should reach everyone.
Meet the kitchen
Leon brings the discipline of a trained kitchen to a truck the size of a single station — every braise, sauce, and glaze made the same way he learned to make them, just with a little more Florida sunshine mixed in. After running his own restaurant in Canada, he wanted to build something simpler and more direct: real bistro food, served right at the window, with no formality standing between the kitchen and the plate.
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