Chef Michael Diaz de Leon Is Ready for His Next Chapter After Michelin-Starred Bruto

The last few years have been a wild ride for chef Michael Diaz de Leon. He moved to Denver from El Paso in 2019 after taking a job at Justin Brunson's Old Major, but just four months later, the pandemic hit and that restaurant ended up closing for good.

At the time, "I didn't really know anyone here, food-wise, and restaurants weren't hiring," he told Westword earlier this year, so he wound up working at Brunson's sandwich counter inside Leevers Locavore — a gig that didn't exactly align with his passion for fine dining.

So at home, he dove into the world of fermentation and started hosting dinner parties, which is how he connected with chef and restaurateur Kelly Whitaker of the Id Est Hospitality group. After impressing Whitaker with his skills, he landed the role of executive chef at Bruto, Id Est's Dairy Block restaurant. When a second indoor dining shutdown came in late 2020, he launched BOH in the alley, selling à la carte items like tacos, ceviche and margaritas to keep the business going.

But by 2022, he was completely focused on Bruto, where he has built an impressive chef's counter dining program that highlights his Mexican heritage and utilizes zero-waste practices, including lots of fermentation and pickling projects. Earlier this year, his efforts were recognized nationally when he became the state's only James Beard finalist. While he didn't ultimately win Best Chef, Mountain Region, he did make a prediction: Michelin was next.

Just over a month later, it was announced that Michelin would indeed launch its first Colorado guide; its inspectors had already begun dining out in search of star-worthy meals.
They found one at Bruto. In September, Diaz de Leon excitedly took the stage at the Michelin awards ceremony — twice — as Bruto was named one of five restaurants in the state that had received one star. It also was honored with a green star for its sustainability practices.

But now the chef is ready to take on something new. On November 11, his three-year anniversary at Bruto, he posted the following statement on Instagram:

"11/11 forever holds a special place in my life for many, many reasons. It’s with deep gratitude that I arrive at this magical day with yet another reason to marvel in eleven's significance in my life.

"It’s been one of the greatest honors to cook food for people that encourages connection, culture and community for all those that have come to sit at the table. The journey from Burger King to Bruto has been beyond incredible, and I am forever grateful to each steppingstone that has led me to this moment. With all the recent developments in my career (shout out to my teams that have supported it), I find myself in a place of starvation for exploration, growth and connection with the world. It’s time for me to experience other cultures, approaches, and practices that the world has to offer and teach me.

"This next step of my story will take me to new places, connect me with new faces and provide me with a space to push my boundaries and grow even deeper into the chef and man I want to be.

"Manifestation: The world is my restaurant. Be water, my friend. With Gratitude."

In his short time in the Denver dining scene, Diaz de Leon has proven to be a passionate innovator, so no matter where he goes next, we'll be excited to follow.