Leeds is a self-taught chef who began her career in the kitchen of Union Square Café—a watershed New York City eatery—where owner Danny Meyer promoted her from line cook to sous chef in under a year. Meyer then went a step further, sending his protégé to Europe to train at such prestigious establishments as the Hotel Negresco in Nice; Pain Adour et Fantaisie in Grenade Sur L’Adour, Gascogne and Hostellerie du Cerf, Marienheim in Alsace. "Jamie cooks from her heart with a rare passion that is refreshingly devoid of any culinary contrivance, ” say Danny Meyer. Leeds describes her culinary style as “American, fresh and honest.”

After working for Meyer for four years, Jamie worked as an independent consultant helping to create menus and organize restaurant kitchens in New York, San Francisco and Chicago. In 1997, Jamie became the chef of The Globe in New York; but in 2000 Jamie joined forced with the Myriad Restaurant Group as corporate consulting chef where she traveled the country opening restaurants like the famed Steelhead Grill in Pittsburgh and Earth & Ocean in Seattle.

15 ria is Myriad’s first venture in the nation’s capital and it is truly a showcase for Jamie’s bold, inventive American food. In an era of high-concept dining Jamie offers something that many places don’t: pure satisfaction.