Ty Leon was born and raised in Gilbert, Arizona. After high school, he moved to Denver, Colorado to attend Johnson & Wales University and pursue a degree in culinary arts and restaurant management. After graduating in 2011, Ty moved to Saratoga, California, to work in the Michelin-starred restaurant Plumed Horse. After two years of living in California, Colorado called and Ty moved back to work at one of Denver’s mainstay restaurants, Mizuna. Mizuna is where Ty met his business partners, Austin Carson and Heather Morrison, and where the trio began to plan for a future restaurant together, which is how Restaurant Olivia came to be. Ty worked at Le Pigeon, Flour and Water, and Lilia before opening Restaurant Olivia, a pasta-focused Italian restaurant, in January 2020, just two months before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down restaurant dining across the country. But the team at Restaurant Oliva has persevered, and since earned accolades including Westword’s Best New Restaurant and Best Chef in 2020, Westword’s Best Pasta in 2022, and Best Italian Restaurant in Thrillist, as well as
appearing on the covers of both 5280 Magazine and Denver Life.
