Photo Courtesy of Gregory Leon
Gregory Leon
The restaurant fills up quickly when the doors open at 5 p.m. This is Amilinda, the Downtown Milwaukee restaurant that specializes in dishes from Spain and Portugal. And chef-owner Gregory Leon is there to greet the regulars as well as newcomers.
“Is the harissa made yet?” he asks a cook as the doors are about to open. Today’s menu features five Starters and five Mains, all carefully selected to represent seasonal items sourced from local vendors. The harissa is for the Andaluz Harissa Chicken, featuring a zucchini relish, yogurt and lemon. And other dishes reflect those Iberian influences: Spanish Brisket with marbled potatoes, Aleppo dry rub and smoked pork Demi. Salmorejo is a creamy, cold tomato soup with its roots in southern Spain featuring a poached egg and what else? Spanish olive oil. Creative. Innovative and all part of the team that make up Leon’s restaurant.
Amilinda, which is a combination of his parents’ first names—Amilcar and Linda—celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2025. But there are other reasons to celebrate. In 2026, Leon is featured in the premiere episode of a new four-part documentary series on immigrant kitchens. “Humble Kitchen” focuses on the immigrant chefs bringing their own multicultural experiences into American kitchens and creating the kinds of menus like Leon and company have created.
Collaborative Kitchen
“Unlike most traditional kitchens, where the chef dictates the dishes and the staff executes them, I take a collaborative approach and encourage my kitchen staff to bring their ideas,” Leon explains. “After some editing or changing of components, a dish may make it onto the menu. I want my staff to have a sense of ownership.”
Leon is the only chef from Wisconsin to be featured in the four-part “Humble Kitchen” series which details his life through his move to Milwaukee 12 yeas ago. At 55, he has seen the very best and worst, as “Humble Kitchen” goes into detail of Leon’s own personal struggles with addiction. The episode spells it all out, baring al. it’s a testament to Leon’s determination to continue on despite the adversities he’s faced, from his mother’s death when he was 19 to choosing to live for the sake of his pet dog when he suddenly lost his job in San Francisco with no place to literally go.
So, what would today’s version of himself tell his younger version at his lowest point? “Keep going,” Leon emphasizes. “Your worst moments don't get the final say in your life.”
James Beard Nominations
And what has followed is a testament to just that: keeping the restaurant going through the pandemic to helping other people in the community start up their own ventures using Amilinda as a pop-up. And by keeping on and keeping on, Leon found himself nominated for the prestigious James Beard award. He’s now up to four nominations in the past four years.
So, where was Leon and what was he doing when he found out about his first ever nomination? “I was at the restaurant washing dishes when my good friend Lori Fredrich texted me to congratulate me,” he says. “My response was, “For what?!”
And it took a while for the honor to sink in. What first came to mind? “Honestly, disbelief. I didn't think it was real. Right after that, I started thinking about my parents and my brothers.”
And Leon’s episode on “Humble Kitchen” circles back around to what has always been most important to him: family, friends, community. That is what has sustained and brought him on his journey to Milwaukee and the destination that is Amilinda.
Leon and his staff are already working on an Amilinda cookbook for 2027. What’s left after that?
“Just gratitude. None of this happens alone,” Leon says, adding “Amilinda exists because of an incredible staff, loyal guests, local farmers and producers and a community that has supported us for more than a decade.”
For Leon and Amilinda, the next decade is already here. Just make sure to call ahead for a reservation.
Humble Kitchen can be found online for free through TODOS Media,—WatchTODOS.com Amilinda is open Wednesday through Saturday, p.m. to 9 p.m. For more information, call: (414) 369-3683 or visit: amilinda.com
