Interview: Chef Leonard

We sat down with Head Chef at Los Mochis London City to discuss his passion for food and what’s in the pipeline for 2024. Read on to find out more.

Q. You are an ex-Nobu Executive Chef and now the Head Chef at Los Mochis London City, Notting Hill and Juno Omakase. Talk us through your passion for food and your journey in becoming a prestigious chef?

A. My whole family are chefs, so I was born a chef! Since I was young, my mother has always taught me that cooking comes from the heart and soul. I had my first part time job as a teenager at an Izakaya restaurant in Japan, this is where I started my culinary journey. Throughout my whole entire life, I have only worked within Japanese cuisine. My genuine passion for cooking is what drives my love for food and the continuous innovation to create unique foods and an exemptional dining experience, across all three of our locations.

Q. Los Mochis incorporates exquisite flavours in each dish. How did the unique blend of Mexican and Japanese fusion come together?

A. I worked for some time in Australia at a Sake restaurant, which taught me more contemporary Japanese techniques. I only had one colleague at that time, who was Mexican, and he brought me into his world. This is how I began to explore Mexican cuisine, learning about the different spices and techniques used in Mexico. Using my Japanese culinary heritage, I learnt how these two cuisines are a perfect match using spices to embody nature’s elements and combine heat and umami into unforgettable dishes.

Q. What challenges did you encounter along the way and how were they overcome?

A. The biggest challenge was creating 100% gluten, nut and celery free dishes. From day one, we had to do a lot of experimenting and various tastings to ensure accurate flavours and consistency was translated to our food. Another challenge that I found when I came to London was finding the right produce and suppliers. We only use suppliers who respect our allergen requirements, which was difficult to find. If a supplier produces items that ‘may contain’ nuts or gluten, then we do not use them. We regularly visit the warehouses as this is a huge importance for us. We take pride in our allergen friendly nature.

Q. What is your personal favourite dish on the Los Mochis menu?

A. I would have to say the Trailer Park Chicken Taco is a winner dish as it represents my love for California. My sister lives there and I regularly visit. Lots of the tacos on the menu have Californian influence. I have lots of fond memories of us eating street food together, so I wanted to bring this memory directly to the menu at Los Mochis. This taco is my soft spot.

Q. Talk us through some of the signature dishes on the menus and how do you balance the flavour and techniques from different traditions?

A. One of our signature dishes in Los Mochis is the Miso Black Cod Taco. It’s Los Mochis on a plate and the epitome of our whole ethos – where Tokyo meets Tulum. We take an authentic Japanese dish of Miso Black Cod and combine it with the iconic Mexican Taco, to create one balanced and umami rich dish. You can find Miso Black Cod at many other restaurants, but our taco dish has enhanced flavours with the guacamole, jalapenos, and pickled red onion.

Q. Running a busy kitchen is no easy task. What techniques do you have to ensure that everything runs smoothly?

A. Communication is very important on all levels. A busy kitchen is a big and demanding operation so ensuring it runs smoothly and everyone is the same page is important. I like to take time before service to do a briefing with the team as its important for their awareness so that they are focused on work with open minds, ready to go. I have learnt over the years that building different layers of communication with the team makes the kitchen team and front of house team stronger. I don’t like to be aggressive, but it is important to make sure the team feels challenged and not comfortable in their ways, to benefit their learning. I like to mentor the team to show pride in what they do to make sure each guest who walks through the door is treated as a VIP.

Q. What are some of your biggest achievements, on the food side, for Los Mochis to date?

A. We were awarded the New Lifestyle Business of the Year award back in 2022 and Best Restaurant of the Year award last year 2023. These are such great achievements, and I feel very proud to be part of this. One benefit these awards provide is for recruitment also. It’s difficult to get good staff these days and these awards have really helped the business to bring hungry and passionate people to my attention. This makes me very happy to work amongst likeminded individuals.

Q. What are the three main skills needed to thrive as a chef?

A. Mastery of cooking, Time management, Leadership. Mastering Japanese and Mexican cuisine means you not only have to master these techniques but also how to make food safe, especially with Japanese cuisine. Having a well-rounded knowledge and a true passion for what you do is really important and helps to produce more creativeness.

Q. What advice would you give to any aspiring chefs in the City?

A. Always show passion and dedication to the whole culinary team. It is important to be humble, not only to your guests but also to the ingredients you are using. Being a chef is not just a job but it’s a whole career and showing the hunger we have for food; customer satisfaction and overall enjoyment is important. Be a role model not only for yourself but for younger chefs in your team to grow and inspire the next generation.

Q. What is in the pipeline for Los Mochis and Juno for 2024?

A. My vision for Los Mochis and Juno this 2024 is to continue to give a memories and experience to everyone. We will be opening an Omakase at the end of 2024 at Los Mochis London City but we also have lots of other exciting things in the pipeline – watch this space!