Executive Chef Leon Dubinovskiy earned his culinary arts diploma at the College of the Ministry of Trade in Moldova, the only cooking school in his Russian hometown. He arrived in St. Louis at age 23 with no English. As an émigré, despite his previous culinary credentials, he had to virtually begin a new career in America. “I had an interest in food,” he says, “and I learned a lot during my compulsory military service starting at age 18.” In the army, Chef cooked three meals a day for 500 soldiers. His fine dining experience began when he came to America.

He was in English language school only two weeks when he began working at The European Café as a dishwasher—he was soon offered a fulltime job. “I had no idea what was going on,” he remembers. “I used to go and sit in the freezer!” He slowly built his cooking skills and through a contact with his brother, was hired at a steak house. “I wasn’t there very long and the chef quit. Suddenly I was in charge. I didn’t sleep, didn’t eat. I would translate the recipes into Russian so I could cook them!”

With a growing family, Chef worked two fulltime jobs, including at Sportsman’s Park in Ladue. He heard that The Saint Louis Woman’s Club was looking for a European Sous Chef so he applied with Chef Zettl, who was then The Club’s award winning Executive Chef. “Chef Zetll had 17 sous chefs before me, “ he recalls. “The training was difficult—an emotional rollercoaster—but I trained for five years with one of the greatest chefs in the country. His passion was cooking, he taught me classical French techniques. He wanted me to earn important certifications and encouraged me to learn and grow. It was hard training in the old style.” Among other certifications, Chef Leon achieved the status of Certified Chef de Cuisine.

In 1995, he became Executive Chef at The Club. “By then, I wanted to develop my own style. Having a chef coat doesn’t make you a chef,” he says. He began introducing some of the ethnic Russian dishes from his youth and including influences of Ukraine, The Baltics and other cuisines. Chef and his wife are passionate travelers. “I am always open to new ideas. I love to try the food of the places we visit and incorporate my version of those dishes into the menus at The Club.” His creativity, expertise in a variety of cuisines and attention to detail make events at The Saint Louis Woman’s Club a culinary delight.

Chef Leon relishes events that challenge his repertoire and creativity. He views each one as an opportunity to create a specific and unique menu. Inspired by an event theme or speaker, brunch, luncheon, or dinner, Chef incorporates a variety of world cuisines to develop specialized menus that beautifully complement our events. Every meal receives the same careful attention.