Blake Leonette

Beverage Director

 Chicago native, Blake Leonette, got his start in hospitality at a very young age. At 16, he began working in the service industry at the extremely popular nightlife destination Stone Lotus—located in Chicago’s prominent River North neighborhood as a server captain overseeing bottle service and assisting the server team. After a very successful run Leonette moved within the organization to the new bar/restaurant Bull & Bear in 2009 as a part of the opening team. There he refined his skills in new restaurant openings and began his career in beverage quickly working from a barback position into a bartending position at the high volume destination. Blake continued as a member of the new venue opening team for Dineamic Group with Public House in 2011, Fabio Viviani’s Italian-driven Siena Tavern in 2013, Siena Tavern Miami in 2014, Chicago Loop’s fine dining Prime & Provisions Steakhouse and Bar Siena both in 2015, Top Chef Katsuji Tanabe’s Mexican-focused Barrio in 2017, and the West Loop hot spot Bandit in 2019. 

While continuing with The Bandit, Leonette took a Bar & Beverage Management position for the popular Greek concepts: Avli on the Park in Lakeshore East. There he further added to his skillset and consolidated the beverage and cocktail programs and worked strategic partnerships with supplier & distributor partners while monitoring inventories and cost controls over the locations. Leonette now joins newly developed Thyme Management as Beverage Director assisting with festival operations in addition to TM’s first bar/restaurant location: No Vacancy.