This Cook Along with JWU is sweet like summertime! Chef Joseph M. Leonardi CMC, ’97, ’99 MAT, director of culinary operations, The Country Club, will demo a delicious recipe for you to cook along with while sharing his love for sustainability and beekeeping. Certified Master Chef Leonardi (one of 71 in the US!) will explain the merits of raw honey and the working life of bees. Keep your fingers crossed – if the weather cooperates, we’ll follow him outside to his beautiful apiary and cook outdoors!
The night's main dish will be a Honey Chili Glazed Salmon served with Coconut Tapioca Pearls and a Mint Fish Sauce Vinaigrette. Check out the recipes and get your mouth watering!
Alumni who register by Monday, May 24 will receive special gifts.
About Chef Joseph M. Leonardi CMC, ’97, ’99 MAT
Director of Culinary Operations | The Country Club | Chestnut Hill, MA
Principal | LEONARDI | Culinary Management Concepts
Joseph M. Leonardi, CMC, is the Director of Culinary Operations at The Country Club in Chestnut Hill, MA having joined in 2016. In this role, he oversees a full-time culinary team of 30 chefs and cooks and is responsible for all food and beverage on the property. Previously, he was the Executive Chef at the Somerset Club in Boston, MA and served as the Department Chair of Culinary Arts and Assistant Professor at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, RI. A member of the American Culinary Federation, Inc. (ACF), Joseph holds a bachelor's degree in Culinary Arts and a master’s degree in Applied Teaching from Johnson & Wales University.
An avid competitor, Leonardi has amassed numerous awards at the regional, national, and international level. Chef Leonardi was inducted into the American Academy of Chefs in 2020 after having earned in 2017, the prestigious title of Certified Master Chef (CMC), the ACF’s highest and most demanding level of achievement in the culinary industry elevating him to 1 of just 71 CMCs in the United States and the only CMC in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. At the ACF’s 2009 National Convention, Joseph was named the U.S.A.’s Chef of the Year™.
Chef Leonardi is also a past manager and team member of the ACF Culinary Team USA, the official team representing the United States in all international competitions and whose mission is to be the standard of excellence for the culinary industry. Leonardi has won over 20 gold medals and numerous silver medals during the past 15 years and in 2016, under his direction, elevated the ACF Culinary Team USA to world champion status in the Culinary Arts Display.
Additionally, he is the founder of LEONARDI | Culinary Management Concepts, a consulting firm that assists various food and beverage operations with strategic planning and development. In his spare time, Joseph enjoys beekeeping and as a result, established the organization, Leonardi Apiary & Gardens, whose goal is to educate communities regarding the importance of bees and their impact on our environment.
Joseph and his wife Lori currently reside in Massachusetts with their three children.