Chef's 'classic' devil's food cake recipe was birthday gift from his mother

Devil’s food cake has been a chocolate lover’s delight since it was invented in the early 20th century.

But it has an even greater significance for James Beard Award-nominated chef Gregory Leon, who owns Amilinda in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Leon’s mother made a devil’s food cake for him every year on his birthday before she died when he was just 19. Now, he bakes it for himself annually on the first day of August. (See the video at the top of this article.)

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Not only is that his birthday, it’s also the anniversary of the day his restaurant opened.

Leon spent his early childhood in his father’s native Venezuela, he said. He didn’t have any connection to Milwaukee when he moved there in 2012 after 18 years in San Francisco.

A devil's food cake sits on a table in the kitchen at Amilinda.

Chef Gregory Leon’s devil’s food cake is a birthday tradition that reminds him of his mother, he told Fox News Digital. (Gregory Leon)

“I knew that I would never be able to own my own restaurant there, which was the ultimate goal,” Leon told Fox News Digital; he said he recognized that it had become too expensive in California.

He packed up his dog and his belongings and headed to Milwaukee to visit a friend.

Leon had “set his sights on a different city,” he said, but he fell in love with Milwaukee and decided to stay, opening Amilinda in 2015.

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“Inspired by the cuisine of Spain and Portugal,” Leon said, Amilinda’s dishes use locally sourced ingredients paired with specialty items from the Iberian Peninsula. A limited menu that changes weekly offers a variety of flavors and options.

Leon is a three-time James Beard Award nominee, honored as a finalist for best chef in the Midwest in 2022 and 2023 and as a semifinalist for outstanding chef in 2024.

But no accolades compare to his mother’s “classic” recipe for devil’s food cake, he said.

James Beard Award-nominated chef Gregory Leon stands next to a devil's food cake he made.

Leon said his mother’s “classic” devil’s food cake is a chocolate lover’s delight. “It stands on its own. It doesn’t need a lot of bells and whistles.” (Fox News Digital)

“It’s an amazing cake,” Leon said.

“It stands on its own. It doesn’t need a lot of bells and whistles. It’s 100% chocolate – and it’s one of the things that stand the test of time.”