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    James Beard Award winner

    David Leite

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    James Beard Award winner
    Portrait of David Leite

    Portrait of David Leite

    i. Biography

    David Leite is the founder of Leite's Culinaria, the defining fact in a career tied to Portuguese cuisine. His signature work, *Notes on a Banana: A Memoir of Food, Love, and Manic Depression*, carries that food story into memoir.

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    The Essentials His turn toward the kitchen came after leaving home: "Actually, it wasn't when I was growing up but rather when I had moved away that I began poking around in the kitchen." Family recipes became the work after loss: "It happened after my grandmother, Vovo Costa, passed away in the early ‘90s. When she died, so did some of her recipes." "That's when I embarked upon a journey to preserve our family’s recipes."

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    FAQ

    Asked of David

    • Where does David Leite work?

      He works through the culinary site he founded.

    • Who is David Leite?

      He is a founder, author, and three-time James Beard Award winner.

    • What is David Leite known for?

      He is known for Portuguese cuisine and a memoir about food, love, and Manic Depression.

    The Sunday email

    Get new Made By stories every Sunday.

    Every Sunday we send a lead story and up to four more about the chefs, winemakers, sommeliers and hoteliers behind the restaurants, bars, wineries and hotels we cover.

    See a sample of the Sunday email

    Free. One email a week, and you can unsubscribe from any issue.