Chef Leonardo Maurelli attended Auburn University, graduating with a degree in hotel and restaurant management in 2003. He has served as executive chef of the famed Amsterdam Café in Auburn, and special events and catering chef and chef de cuisine for The Hotel at Auburn University and Dixon Conference Center. Currently, Chef Maurelli is the executive chef of Central, located in the heart of Montgomery’s Downtown entertainment district, where he pairs his patronage of local farmers, cheese makers, brewers and artisans with a uniquely personal multicultural take on comfortable Southern food, created with a straightforward style and grace. Honored as the 2011 Alabama Restaurant Association and Alabama Hospitality Association Chef of the Year, Chef Maurelli is a founding member and president of The Front Porch Revival, a nonprofit organization in charge of promoting the arts in Alabama.