JAVA Dec '18 issue

Danielle Leoni and Dwayne Allen
Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Blue Ribbon Task Force
dive into the subject led to Leoni helping to vet out the pilot program. “I worked
with their consultants, seeing what worked, what was difficult, how to locate
sustainable sources. I collaborated closely with them for a month and it was an
intense learning process.”
Leoni’s take-charge attitude also landed her a position with Monterey Bay’s Blue
Ribbon Task Force. “I emailed Sheila Bowman, the woman who heads up the
program, and she was like, ‘Who are you?’” Leoni says. But Leoni’s knowledge of
Jamaican food and her advocacy efforts (like doing television spots about seafood
sustainability for Channel 3) impressed Bowman, who invited her to join the Task
Force’s exclusive group of 65 culinary experts.
Leoni is also one of three local chefs (so far) who’ve signed the Portland Pact
for Sustainable Seafood. As part of that pact’s Chefs For Fish campaign, Leoni
is among a group of food professionals who’ve pledged to support U.S. fisheries
that comply with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management
Act. The MSA is a law that governs fishing in U.S. waters that helps to rebuild
overfished stocks, increase long-term economic and social benefits, use reliable
data and sound science, conserve essential fish habitats, and ensure a safe and
sustainable supply of seafood.
While she’s working with national organizations, Leoni is also spreading her zeal
within the local community. Since graduating from ASU’s School of Sustainability
with an executive master’s degree in sustainability leadership, she’s been
educating other Arizona chefs one-on-one about adopting sustainable, eco-friendly
practices.
“Restaurants can make small changes today that require little to no money or time
to implement. For example, at The Breadfruit and Rum Bar, we have a company
that composts our pre- and post-consumer waste. This service cost us twenty dollars
per week, but there is much greater value gained than the money spent,” says Leoni.
The depth and breadth of Leoni’s accomplishments would put most
“establishment” chefs to shame. When asked if her lack of formal credentials has
ever been an issue with organizations like the James Beard Foundation, Leoni just
laughs. “Even though I’m not classically trained, they really respect and honor how
I’ve bootstrapped my business,” Leoni says. “I went to one of their food summits
last year. We were all drinking champagne on a rooftop, and one of them turns
to me and says, ‘How did you end up here?’ And I told them what I told you: I just
filled out a form. It was as simple as that.”
While The Breadfruit and Rum Bar will remain Leoni and Allen’s crown jewel,
they’re also planning to expand their culinary empire by reestablishing the Leoni’s
Focaccia concept (tipping their hats to Danielle’s Italian roots) in a Phoenix location
in the near future. Their original incubator space in Scottsdale closed last year in
order to make way for a much more complete concept slated to open on Roosevelt
Row. While sandwiches will still be a big part of the concept, it will be more of a
full-service focacceria, salumeria and gelateria, with a wine bar on top of that.
JAVA 11
MAGAZINE