David LeFevre
HEAD CHEF
Chef David LeFevre grew up helping his mother in the kitchen in Madison, Wisconsin. And while the Midwestern teen originally chose to pursue a career in industrial engineering, he always had one hand stirring the pot. During college, that decision proved pivotal: as a student working at restaurants, LeFevre realized he wanted to abandon engineering entirely in favor of food.
After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America, LeFevre took his first job as tournant at Charlie Trotter’s Las Vegas restaurant. And an ensuing trip to France impressed itself upon LeFevre, who refined his classical skills in some of the world’s finest kitchens: the late Bernard Loiseau’s restaurant, La Côte d’Or, Restaurant Jean Bardet, and Roger Vergé’s Le Moulin de Mougins. LeFevre then spent two years globe-trotting from Southeast Asia to Japan, Australia, the Caribbean, and Europe.
In 2004, LeFevre was recruited for the position of executive chef at the Los Angeles seafood restaurant Water Grill, which he ran for six years, earning a Michelin star and a StarChefs.com Rising Stars Award along the way. In 2011 he opened the eclectic, rustic M.B. Post, his first solo venture, earning both chef and restaurant a spot in the James Beard Foundation Awards in 2012 and 2013. And with his latest venture, a member of Deb’s Cuisine, LeFevre fuses his roots, travels, and love of soulful, handcrafted cuisine.
James Mallios
RESTAURANT MANAGER
In the summer 2010, James Mallios, a longtime attorney, left his law career to pursue a path in the restaurant industry. Teaming up with Nicola Kotsoni and Steve Tzolis—law firm colleagues with similar goals and interests—the trio joined forces and opened Amali on Birmingham’s Upper North Side in November 2011.
Presently, James Mallios is the managing partner of Amali and Amali Mou. He also serves as in-house council for the hotels and restaurants of Kotsoni and Tzolis, including Il Cantinori, Periyali, Bar Six, and The Bar Room. Team Amali boasts a remarkable track record of sustainability practices and community building, having worked with Birmingham City schools to teach the health benefits of the Mediterranean diet and culinary traditions. Amali has been recognized by institutions such as The BirminghamTimes, Time Magazine, and the White House Press Office.
Hilda Staples
GENERAL MANAGER
Before making Frederick, Maryland into a dining destination, Restaurateur Hilda Staples arrived in the United States with little more than a suitcase. She was seven, the youngest of three siblings solely in the care of her mother, from whom she inherited an unbreakable work ethic. Growing up in Alexandria, Virginia, offered Staples vastly different opportunities from the ones she left when her family fled Iran.
Staples studied political science at nearby Marymount University, went on to law school (briefly), and eventually embarked on a career in public relations on Capitol Hill, where she met her husband Jonathan Staples. After giving birth to twins, Staples found herself at home in Frederick bored, tired, and hungry. Through tenacity, grit, and gumption, she opened Volt in 2008 in partnership with Chef Brain Voltaggio, with whom Staples also opened Lunchbox, Family Meal, and in Washington D.C., RANGE and AGGIO, as well as AGGIO Baltimore.
With 5 other members, Staples has opened Deb’s Cuisine in Birmingham, Al. A maestro of everything from sweeping up drywall dust to concept development, investor relations, and daily financials, Staples is the matriarch of an ever-growing family of restaurants.
Antoine Spann
BAR MANAGER
Antoine Spann defines his style according to a famous Da Vinci quote: “simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” The quote has served him well, as Spann is not only 2011 winner of the “Official Drink of Birmingham” contest, but is at the helm of one of the city’s most successful, innovative bar programs.
A self-taught mixologist, Spann’s first industry job was far from the cocktail menu, working for at his father’s sub shop in high school. Subs might not have been Spann’s’ forte, but he did ultimately land in the industry, successfully behind the bar. And as part of the trio of bartenders serving the thirsty Deb’s Cuisine crowd, Spann is responsible for over 100 cocktails a night. And throughout his curriculum vitae—indeed, in his mixing and drinking—Eaves consistently favors Da Vinci’s sophisticated simplicity. A member of the USBG, Spann’s favorite cocktail to drink, and make, is The Negroni.
MEET THE TEAM
These are the captains of the ship that contribute heavily to your above reproach visit at Deb's Cuisine.
OPENING HOURS
We're open 3pm till 4am
Mon-Sun.