This week on Joiners, we sit down with Dominique Leach, chef, pitmaster, entrepreneur, and founder of Lexington Betty Smokehouse. Dominique’s story is a wild one: culinary school, Chicago kitchens, legendary mentors, brutal bosses, huge opportunities, hard lessons, and more than a few moments that could have sent her in an entirely different direction. What stands out through all of it is her resilience. She keeps moving, keeps learning, keeps betting on herself, and keeps finding a way forward. We talk about coming up in Chicago’s restaurant world, learning from the people around you, building a business and an identity at the same time, leadership, representation, hospitality, and what it takes to keep going when things get very, very difficult.
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