Tallahassee chef Leon Brunson has reached some major highs in the culinary world. From his success on social media to owning his own restaurant to appearing on the national program “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,” Brunson’s name has become well-known around town in recent years. WFSU recently had the chance to sit down with Brunson to talk more about his life’s work.
Brunson met us at one of the grey stone cottages that houses his restaurant along the banks of Lake Ella on North Monroe Street. “Leon’s at Lake Ella,” focuses on providing lunch and catering. While his staff worked on food preparation in the kitchen behind him, Brunson talked about how he got into this business.
Cooking up a dream from scratch
"They know ‘the earlier I get here, [the earlier] I can secure a seat."
“I started cooking at Waffle House," he said. “I didn’t cook at home with my mom, my dad [or] my grandma.” It was the need to earn money in high school for gas, not an interest in food, that led to his first job at the restaurant. “Waffle House was the only place that called me back,” Brunson continued. “I just loved [that] restaurant.”
During Brunson’s early culinary beginnings, he was still cultivating other hobbies. He competed in Dance, Dance, Revolution events, played Yu-Gi-Oh card games, and loved performing music. During high school, he wasn’t sure what to pursue as a career. “I was either torn on going into music and being a musician, or should I continue and just be a chef?” He said.
After high school, Brunson studied to become a chef and continued to work at local restaurants. In 2018 he earned a bachelor's degree in neuroscience at Florida State University after his father had a life-threatening brain aneurysm. Through it all, Brunson never stopped working with food. “I enjoyed the research I was doing, but it didn’t excite me the way food does.”
A recipe for his success
Brunson continued to gain friends in the Tallahassee food world, including Keith Baxter, the owner of Kool Beanz Cafe. Baxter hired Brunson as a chef and later gave him the opportunity to open the restaurant where Leon’s at Lake Ella now resides. The COVID-19 pandemic delayed the first attempt to start the business, but Brunson pivoted again.
He created and began a cooking show online, building his own tv studio in his apartment to make that happen. As his social media following grew, Brunson came to the attention of local organizations, like the online group “Tallahassee Foodies.” As the isolation of the pandemic began to wind down, Brunson became a private chef and began to cater for more events. He made fewer videos, but his fans increased. When Brunson opened Leon’s at Lake Ella in 2024, it did not take long for the lines to stretch out the door.
“Dude, it’s crazy!” Brunson laughed. Noting that the 1000 square foot building has room for 20 seats inside and 60 outside, he said the restaurant fills up fast. “The traffic in here is crazy. We have to redirect people to line up outside so the guests aren’t impeded.”
Brunson goes on to say the customers now plan for the wait. “People line up by 10:45 [a.m.] because they know ‘the earlier I get here I can secure a seat inside or outside.’”
In February 2025, Leon’s at Lake Ella was featured on Guy Fieri’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” television program on the Food Network. Brunson has also appeared in a Walmart commercial and competed against Tallahassee’s own T-Pain in an online streaming cooking competition. Brunson won.
Finding motivation through family
Even with all these activities, Brunson never seems to run out of energy. In addition to the restaurant, he still pursues many of the hobbies he had growing up. Brunson also works to support the Second Harvest Food Bank, by offering meal prep advice, and helping fill bags that are given out to people in need. He says it was his family that made sure he always gave 100% of himself in everything he does. “The biggest thing that I always want to do is make sure that I give the most effort that I possibly can in this thing that I'm engaging in so that it pays back all the way to my mom.”
Brunson says his mom kept him focused and busy growing up and that helped him find his motivation. “It's awesome because it shows like to my parents, specifically my mom, that this is this is something that like was worth it.”
What’s cooking next?
That energy and effort infuses Brunson plans for the future. He wants to write a cookbook, do more cooking shows and national media. For now, Brunson says “what’s next is going to be kind of putting a bow on this restaurant.” He’s looking at adding beer and wine options to the menu, online ordering, and expanding the restaurant's hours.
“I just want to set up something great for people here at Lake Ella that if they can count on, know when they can come in, have a consistent meal, bring family members in,” and continue to grow community.
