Eric Leveillee highlights the bounty of the Catskills at the DeBruce

<p>Eric Leveillee is the culinary director of The DeBruce, a 12-roomboutique hotel in the Catskills community of Livingston Manor, N.Y., where he has worked since 2020, offering a seasonal tasting menu as well as regular à la carte service. </p><p>He spent his formative culinary years in Philadelphia aftergraduating from Temple University with a degree in economics. He started at a Mexican restaurant called El Camino Real, where he fell in love with his waitress and got a job in the kitchen to try to get to know her better. It worked — they’re still married — and Leveillee went on to pursue a cooking career, working at Vernick Food &amp; Drink under Greg Vernick and then heading up the kitchen at Marigold. </p><p>His next stop was Lacroix at The Rittenhouse Hotel, wherehe worked during the runup to the pandemic and then ended up at The DeBruce. </p><p>He recently shared his perspective on highlighting theingredients that he sources from the area, buying most of his produce from a farmer within walking distance of the property, as well as the occasional import, such as the Mexican herb epazote that he said goes well with trout.</p>