Chicago Chef Rene De Leon Joins the Strategic Hospitality Team

Local restaurant group Strategic Hospitality continues to stack their deck with major kitchen talent, with the latest edition being chef Rene De Leon, a veteran of the Chicago restaurant scene. De Leon, who worked in the high profile kitchens of Alinea and Next for over six years, was last tapped as executive chef for the 400-seat The Dawson in Chicago, which opened last October. That partnership lasted less than a month, with Deleon and the restaurant parting ways in November. A rep for Strategic Hospitality tells Eater that he has been working for them for less than two months, and that he is 'helping at established places until [they] figure out a defined role for him.'