Leon was founded on the twin principles that food can both Taste Good and Do You Good. When Henry Dimbleby, John Vincent and Allegra McEvedy opened their first restaurant, on London's Carnaby Street in July 2004, their aim was to change the face of fast food. Six months after opening, Leon was named the Best New Restaurant in Great Britain at the Observer Food Monthly Awards (by a judging panel that included Rick Stein, Gordon Ramsay, Nigel Slater, Heston Blumenthal, Ruth Rogers and Jay Rayner). John is co-founder of Leon, which now has more than 55 restaurants (including restaurants in Amsterdam, Utrecht, Oslo and Washington DC). He wrote LEON Naturally Fast Food with Henry Dimbleby, LEON Family & Friends with Kay Plunkett-Hogge, LEON Happy Salads and LEON Fast & Free with Jane Baxter and LEON Happy Soups with Rebecca Seal. He believes food has the power to delight, invigorate and bring people together. He thinks that our relationship with food should be positive and joyous and that we need to listen more carefully to our gut, eat more good fats, less sugar. And a whole lot more plants.
