Uploaded September 2018 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago

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(KUTV) The nation's top chef is right here in Utah.

"I was born to cook," said Chef Todd Leonard.

Chef Leonard comes with quite the resume.

He is the department chair of Utah Valley University's Culinary Art Institute, one of the country's top professional cooking programs.

He oversees some 200 students throughout the day.

"The students get a journey here," Leonard said.

Inside his office are dozens of prestigious awards he has won over the years.

But now he carries a new title--National Chef of the Year.