Meet Chef John DiLeo

With over 30 years of experience, Chef DiLeo can help you with that special dinner party or your commercial kitchen.

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I had a fascination with the culinary arts starting at an early age, while cooking at my Great Aunt’s side in our family’s Long Island home. I moved on to work at a local restaurant starting as a dishwasher and worked my way up to line cook before leaving to attend The Culinary Institute of American.

Upon graduation from the CIA, I apprenticed under Christian Delouvrier at “Restaurant Maurice” where we earned three stars from The New York Times. 

As the founding Chef of Zoe in Soho I learned to play with Fire, creating menus around a wood burning oven, grill and rotisserie. As Executive Chef of Lafayette in the Drake Swissotel, I honed my upscale dining skills.  And as the Executive Chef of The Grand Tier at The Met Opera, I took those honed skills and orchestrated them nightly to delight opera patrons.

I have recently moved to the Charleston area and look forward to cooking in private homes which I love because of the intimacy and freedom of expression.