Mika Leon

CHEF MONICA "MIKA" LEON (30)

Chef & Restaurant Owner “Caja Caliente”

Miami, Florida

Monica “Mika” Leon has spent the better part of the decade working in kitchens across South Florida. Her journey to chef and restaurant owner began at a young age working in her family’s restaurants and businesses. From there she was exposed to not only the delicious food, but the various positions and work required to run a restaurant. From working in her family’s restaurant’s to running a catering business, opening two different food trucks and ultimately her own restaurant, Chef Mika’s experience runs the gamut.

It all began humbly with Mika Bites, a wholesale desserts company she launched out of her mother’s garage just after college. With a recently earned business degree in hand and grit and passion to spare, Leon quickly went from home baker to thriving entrepreneur, proving that sweets were only the beginning.

The granddaughter of a successful restaurant owner in Spain, Leon always aspired to have her own establishment. She started with a food truck in 2016 and, in 2017, expanded to a larger area whose parking lot she turned into an inviting outdoor dining space for customers. The nimble business model had always appealed to Leon, who was lukewarm on the idea of staying in one place. Her love of travel and seeing the world manifested in a similar desire to hit the streets of Miami with her unique Cuban tacos: Caja Caliente, another truck. The truck, she says, gave her the opportunity to explore different neighborhoods, introduce new people to her food and get a lay of the land before deciding to settle down.

In 2019, Leon put down roots in Coral Gables with the opening of Caja Caliente’s first brick-and-mortar. It was a dream come true for the young chef who brought her family along for this new endeavor. Taking flavor profiles she picked up on her travels through the Mediterranean and combining them with family recipes passed down for generations, Leon’s cooking is highly personal. Traditional roast pork (lechon) tacos and homespun versions of arroz con pollo are featured on the menu alongside whimsical brunch plates and the healthy dishes she shares on her website. She focuses on new takes of classic Cuban food and adaptations of her favorite desserts while also drawing inspiration from seasonal ingredients to create new dishes in line with her own clean, whole-foods diet.

Mika is constantly eating out in Miami, sampling any and all types of cuisine. She is inherently a “secret diner” while dining out, silently and sometimes not-so-silent critiquing and criticizing the food, service and ambience of the restaurant.

She pays special attention to brand cohesion, menu cohesion, quality of food and service as well as cleanliness. Behind the kitchen, Mika knows a thing or two about working with family. She has worked with her family in her own restaurant and can appreciate the nuanced and dramatic dynamics that often impact family owned restaurants. She’s accustomed to difficult conversations and pin-pointing problem areas and blind-spots. Another element that makes Mika standout is her business degree and acumen combined with her behind the stove chef experience. Not only is she creative, she’s also an entrepreneur who understands the pragmatic and practical needs of a business. Leon was a finalist for Eater’s Young Guns awards, won “Best taco in Florida” in 2021, “Best Cuban restaurant” in 2023 and has been featured in countless publications, both local and national.