Winner will appear in Taste of Home magazine, cook with Carla Hall, and take home $25,000
I feel that food should slap you in the face from the first bite. It should have personality. When I cook, you will know mine.
Want to learn more about our competition?
Learn MoreWant to be notified if their position changes?
Receive Text UpdatesSpringing for Lamb stuffed with Herb dressing with a Vermouth Gravy. Served with Rosemary Roasted Potatoes and Maple Candied Carrots
Who is your culinary inspiration?Both of my grandmother’s ,Verna Hall from Turks and Caicos Islands and Edna Thomas, who was from Barbados. Their cooking was phenomenal. Their Conch Fritters and Codfish Cakes, were out of this world. They cooked from the heart.
What would you do with the $25,000?I would treat my husband to a trip to Italy to visit Sting and Trudie Styler’s Winery, Il Palagio. He loves Italian food, as do I, and we’ve learned to love good wine when we owned our own wine shop in Brooklyn, New York. He deserves it. He works so hard. It would put a big smile on his face, and one on my heart.
Vote for Leslie Fontanez to be the next Favorite Chef while supporting a great cause! Cast your free daily vote below, or make an even bigger impact when you vote by donation, supporting the James Beard Foundation and their mission to lead chefs and the broader culinary industry toward a new standard of excellence.
