Chef Joseph Leonardi, CMC, is an internationally recognized and award-winning chef who has built his career on education, leadership and Integrity. He currently serves as Director of Culinary Operations for The Country Club in Brookline, Mass., one of the most prestigious clubs in the United States. The Country Club has hosted multiple USGA events as well as the 1999 Ryder Cup, and it will be the host site of the 2022 U.S. Open.
Chef Leonardi is also President of LEONARDI, Culinary Management Concepts, a consulting company that provides services such as recipe development, training and inventory control for food-and- beverage operations.
Prior to joining The Country Club, Chef Leonardi was the Executive Chef of the Somerset Club in Boston. He joined that club’s staff after eight years on the faculty of Johnson & Wales University in Providence, R.I. Previously he had been a research and development chef for Rich’s Sea Pak, St. Simon’s Island, Ga.
Chef Leonardi has an associate, bachelors and masters degrees from Johnson & Wales.
An avid culinary competitor, Chef Leonardi was manager of the American Culinary Federation (ACF) Culinary Team USA 2016 and served as captain in 2012 of the ACF Culinary Team USA. Both of these teams competed at the Internationale Kochkunst Ausstellung (IKA) International Culinary Exhibition (commonly known as the “culinary Olympics”) in Erfurt, Germany. Chef Leonardi was also a member of the 2008 American Culinary Federation Culinary Regional Team USA that earned a gold medal in the cold- food salon and was ranked No. 1 in the world out of 62 regional teams at the IKA.
Chef Leonardi is a member of ACF Rhode Island Chapter and in 2009 was named the National Chef of the Year at the ACF National Convention in Orlando, Fla. He is one of only 67 Certified Master Chefs, as recognized by the ACF, in the United States.