Leonor Espinoza

Leonor Espinosa, also known by her nickname 'Leo', is a Colombian chef whose Bogotá, restaurant Leo Cocina y Cava, featuring a fusion of traditional Caribbean and modern Colombian cuisine, first brought her to international attention when it opened in 2007. Espinosa appears regularly on Columbian television, and also runs the restaurants Leo Cocina Mestiza and Mercado.

Personal life and family
Espinosa was born in Cartagena, Colombia. Her daughter Laura, raised by Espinosa as a single mother, studied international relations, and is now a sommelier, and specialist in sustainable development. Laura also heads Espinosa's Funleo foundation.

Career and restaurants
Originally, she trained in economics and subsequently, in advertising and fine arts. She began to use food as a means to express creativity, and took a position at the Bogotá restaurant Claroscuro, before being finally able to open her own restaurant, Leo Cocina y Cava, in 2007.

Her signature style, developed at Leo Cocina y Cava, is the use of traditional ingredients (many of them unknown in popular cuisine) that are part of the cultural fiber of disenfranchised indigenous, black and peasant communities of Colombia. Espinosa does not restrict herself to any of the eight culinary regions of Colombia, but blends them all 'capturing authentic flavours while adding a modern twist and classy presentation'. In 2008, The New York Times wrote that Espinosa's 'culinary experiments are both delicious and peculiar'. Leo Cocina y Cava was chosen by Conde Nast Traveller magazine as one of its 82 best restaurants in the world and, subsequently, was included as one of the 105 best dining experiences in the world by the magazine National Geographic Traveler, in early 2010).

Starting in June, 2012, Espinosa opened two further restaurants in Bogotá. La Leo Cocina Mestiza, is a 'frillier and more expensive' sequel to Leo Cocina y Cava, with the 'mixed cuisine' (cocina mestiza) of its name, drawing on Arabic, African, Caribbean and European influences. While Mercado, which has a 'farm to table' approach, is 'a more casual showcase for her outspoken advocacy of cooking with Colombian ingredients'.

Espinosa is also known for her snug chef jackets in vivid colors, polka dots or artsy prints, created by Colombian designers such as Sandra Cabrales or Carlos Valenzuela.

Funleo foundation
She started a foundation called Funleo, now lead by her daughter Laura. Funleo, whose motto is “Gastronomy for Development”, is an initiative devoted to help the undeserved black, indigenous and peasant communities of the country, investigating their crops and unique ingredients and working to optimize production and distribution from their place of origin. "We try to develop the local food, not just the cuisine: our attention is not focused only in the kitchen, but also in resources, local products from these indigenous communities that have lost, shall we say, a place within Colombian agriculture", she explains.