Leon Grodski Barrera Entrepreneur, Artist, Producer Born 1973, Smithtown, New York Lives and works in Durham, North Carolina
>>EDUCATION
Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Coffee Excellence Center, Certificate in Advanced Studies, 2025 Specialty Coffee Association - 2004 - Present Columbia University, Teachers College, Master of Arts in English Education, 1998 Binghamton University, Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Literature 1995 Lived one year in Cologne, Germany 1996-97 Lived one year in Paris, France 1998-99 Lived 7 years on the Qualla Boundary Speaks flowing German and wine-functional French, Learning Spanish Extensive Travel - North America, Europe, North Africa, South America
>>ENTREPRENEUR
2017 - Present, Co-Owner, with Areli Barrera Grodski, Little Waves Coffee Roasters, Durham, NC 2010 - Present, Co-Owner, with Areli Barrera Grodski, Cocoa Cinnamon, three coffee shops, Durham, NC 2004 - 2010 Co-Owner of Tribal Grounds Coffee, Roaster Retailer, Cherokee, 1995 - Present, Artist / Producer - The Sushee Bar
>>AWARDS & RECOGNITION – Selection
2024 Little Waves Coffee featured in Omnivore, Apple TV Docuseries,Coffee episode,Co-Created by Noma Chef René Redzepi and Roads & Kingdoms & Parts Unknown producer Matt Goulding, July 2024 2023 The 25 Best Coffee Shops in the US, Trip to Discover 2023 14 Best Small Batch Roasters, Tasting Table 2022 Winner, Micro Roaster of the Year, Roast Magazine, for Little Waves Coffee Roasters 2022 51 Best Coffee Shops in America, Food Network 2021 Finalist Micro Roaster of the Year, Roast Magazine 2021 Sprudgie Finalist, Sustainbility 18-20 Best in Class, Coffee Shop in Triangle, NC, by Food Critic Greg Cox (rt), for the News & Observer 2019 Roaster in Residence, La Marzocco Café, Seattle 14-24 Best Durham Coffee Shop in Indy Week Best of… 14-24 Durham Magazine, Best Coffee Shop 2019 The South’s Best Coffee Shops, Southern Living Magazine 2016 Top Coffee Shops in Every State, Food Network 2014 The 40 Best Coffee Shops in the U.S. - The Men’s Journal, August 2014 Sustainable Enterprise of the Year Award from Green Plus 2014 Preservation Durham Best Adaptive Reuse Project for Cocoa Cinnamon 2013 Special Recognition Entry into US Congressional Record by Congressman G.K. Butterfield for Cocoa Cinnamon included in Tastiest Town in the South 2013 Best Renovation Award by Downtown Durham, Inc. for Cocoa Cinnamon 2013 Voted Best New Business by readers of Indy Week 2009 The Sequoyah Fund $5,000 1st Prize for competition “Getting Retail Right” 2009 Friend of Kituwah Award from Kituwah Preservation and Education Program 2008 Community Service Award from the North Carolina Cooperative Extension 2005 Best of The Shadow Festival, Amsterdam 2003 Featured in Artforum Magazine’s Critic's Picks for 'Great Balls of Fire' in '24/7 Wilno-Nueva York,' Vilnius 2003 Featured as Top Ten in the Denver Fall Arts Season, Kyle MacMillan, Art Critic, Denver Post for 'The Umbrella (The Points of Contact #1)' at Studio Aiello 2003 Independent Project Grant, Artists Space, NY for installation 'swift nude ______' at Galapagos Art Space, Brooklyn, NY 2003 Artist in Residence, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, NC 2003 Best of Fest Choice, Impakt Festival for Audio-Visual Arts, Utrecht 2003 Best of Fest Choice, European Media Art Festival, Osnabruck 2003 Selection in special international program of the 2003 Videoex Festival, Zurich, Switzerland/Berlin, Germany, with 'Great Balls of Fire' 2002 Best of Show, 'Grand Opening Group Show' Studio Aiello Contemporary Art Space, Denver, CO, with 'The Umbrella, The Points of Contact #1,' 'Swift nude _______' & 'Great Balls of Fire' 2002 Juror Choice Award, Arizona State University Art Museum Film & Video Festival, Tempe, AZ, with 'Great Balls of Fire' 2002 Grand Jury Award: Best Short, No Dance Film and Multimedia Festival, Park City, UT, with 'Great Balls of Fire' 2002 Best of Five Years Selection, No Dance Film and Multimedia Festival, Los Angeles, CA, with 'Great Balls of Fire' 2001 First Prize, Photo District News 7th Annual Digital Imaging Contest, New York, NY, with 'The Umbrella, The Points of Contact #1'
>>SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2011 The Scrap Exchange, Durham, NC, with "Retrospective Inference" 2003 McColl Center For Visual Art, Charlotte, NC, with "Great Balls of Fire" 2003 Galapagos Art Space, Brooklyn, NY, “swift nude ______' 2002 Wilkinson Gallery, London, United Kingdom, Video Project Space, 'Near-Life Experience,' with 'Great Balls of Fire'
>>GROUP EXHIBITIONS – SELECTION
2007 "Memory's Images, Once They are Fixed in Words Are Erased," LIFT Contemporary, Cherokee, NC 2006 "Something to Someone," LIFT Contemporary 2005 ‘New Media’ Denver, Studio Aiello, Curated by Tyler Aiello 2005 Extra City, ‘Dedication to a Proposition,’ Antwerp, Belgium, Curated by Wim Peeters 2004 LIFT Contemporary, “FLIGHT’ Cherokee, Curated by Leon Grodski 2004 Aeroplastics Contemporary, ‘Artists of the Gallery, Winter Show,’ Brussels, Belgium, Curated by Jerome Jacobs 2003 Witte Zaal, 'Without Fear or Reproach' Gent, Belgium, Curated by Jerome Jacobs and Dirk Manesse 2003 FACT Centre, ‘Nothing Special’ Liverpool, United Kingdom, Curated by Claire Doherty 2003 Play Gallery, Berlin, work from VIDEOEX 2003 Contemporary Art Center, ‘24/7 Vilnius-New York’ Vilnius, Lithuania, Curated by Raimundus Malasauskas 2003 Studio Aiello, 'Best of Show Exhibition,’ Denver 2003 Break 2.2, ‘Invisible Threat’ Ljubljana, Slovenia 2003 Video Art Foundation, ‘25 Hours’ Barcelona, Spain, Curated by Manuel Saiz 2002 Santa Monica Museum of Art, as part of Johan Grimonprez exhibition 2002 Uitmarkt, under the Rijksmuseum, as part of the official opening of the Holland Cultural Season, Amsterdam 2002 Studio Aiello, Grand Opening Group Show, Denver, Curated by Tyler Aiello
>>SCREENINGS – SELECTION
12-23 Available upon request 2011 ACC Galerie, Weimar, Germany 2011 Halle 14, Leipziger Baumwollspinnerei, Leipzig, Germany 2009 ARTE, Television France/Germany 2003 Maison de la Photographie Europeenne, Paris, France 2003 Indonesia National Gallery, Jakarta 2003 Landesmuseum, Linz, Austria 2003 The Red House, Sofia, Bulgaria 2003 Imageforum, Japan 2002 Backup Festival, Weimar, Germany 2002 New York University, NYC 2002 Ocularis, Williamsburg 2002 Impakt Festival, Utrecht, The Netherlands 2002 The Walker Art Center, 'DIG.IT II,’ Minneapolis 2002 Santa Barbara Contemporary Art Forum, Santa Barbara 2002 Harvard University, Cambridge 2002 Split Festival of New Film, Split, Croatia 2002 MoCA, Los Angeles 2002 Lincoln Center, Walter Reade Theater, New York Video Festival, New York City 2002 Oberhausen International Short Film Festival, Oberhausen, Germany
>>WORK AS CURATOR, SPEAKER, WRITER - SELECTION
2022 Discover Durham Podcast: Leon and Areli of Cocoa Cinnamon & Little Waves Coffee Roasters 2022 Making Waves, Short film on the love story that led to Little Waves & Cocoa Cinnamon, by Victoria Bouloubasis & Pilar Timpane for Visit North Carolina 2021 The Business Case of Living Wage - Barista Guild 2015 RTP 180 Social Entrepreneurship - Research Triangle Park Foundation talk 2015 Slow Money Regional Gathering, Buying into our local economy- Speaker 2015 Cocoa Cinnamon - NC Weekend - UNC-TV 2015 Sum and Substance - Speaker 2014 "Olympic Dreams" article in Indy Week 2010 Guest Speaker, Western Carolina University, Master of Arts Program 2010 "Taking Ownership" article in Smoky Mountain News 2007 "Memory's Images, Once They are Fixed in Words Are Erased," Curator, LIFT Contemporary 2006 “Something to Someone,” Curator, LIFT Contemporary 2006 “ART EXPO,” curator, Catherine J. Smith Gallery, Appalachian State University 2005 “Of the Cave” co-curator, LIFT Contemporary 2004 “FLIGHT,” curator, included works by Stephen Dean, Yael Bartana, Yoko Ono, Johan Grimonprez, Hiraki Sawa, Luzene Hill, Christoph Draeger, Joost Conijn 2000 'Deprivation' Co-Writer/Producer, Feature Film, Jesse Scolaro, Director, SXSW Film Festival, Domani Vision Festival, Oxford Film Festival, Woodstock Film Festival 1999 'Togetherless' Writer, Jesse Scolaro, Director, Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival, Raindance Film Fest, St. Louis International Film Festival Grant writer for various projects.
>>WORK AS MULTIMEDIA PRODUCER, DESIGNER - SELECTION
12-Present Co-Collaborator in Design of Cocoa Cinnamon’s three retail locations & Little Waves Coffee Roasters with David Solow art + design 04-07 Co-Founder LIFT Contemporary, Art Space on the Qualla Boundary 03-04 'davidsolow.com', Co-Designer/Producer, David Solow, Artist 02-03 'Runway,' Researcher/Producer, David Solow, Artist 03-04 'Defying Gravity' Producer of outdoor installation by David Solow at the North Carolina Museum of Art 03-04 'The Fall of Saigon,' Producer of Photo-real Helicopter Animation Scene in 'Miss Saigon,' Mitchell Lemsky, Director, Cameron Mackintosh, Producer, toured fifty-two American cities 2003 ‘Lost Intentions/Ovary and Oculus,’ Producer, David Solow, Artist Artspace, Raleigh, May-June 2003 02-04 'falling bodies blanket me’ Producer, David Solow, Artist Contemporary Art Museum, Raleigh, NC, Rose Art Museum, Boston 2001 'Logic of The Birds' Line Producer of two Films in Interdisciplinary Performance and Multiscreened Film, Shirin Neshat, Artist International Tour including: The Kitchen, NY, The Walker Art Center, MN, Lincoln Center, NY and Union Chapel, UK 2001 'The Victim' Producer, Short Film, Doug Magee Director, Starring David Strathairn & Patti LuPone, Avignon Film Festival, Cinequest Film Festival 2000 'Shoot the Piano Tuner' Producer, Short Film, Sam Neave, Director, Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival
>>WORK IN EDUCATION
04 - Present Coffee Education in our businesses 04 - 10 Guest Lecturer/Teacher, art and multimedia classes, Cherokee Schools 2008 Participant in think tank Qualla Generations - purpose creating sustainability on the Qualla Boundary 07-09 Judge, Photography, Cherokee Fair 2007 Guest Lecturer, Master of Art History Program, UNC Chapel Hill 06-09 Founding board member of Gadugi, Inc. (Working Together - translation from Cherokee language), non-profit public aid organization in the Cherokee community. 06-09 Artspace Educator - Youth Media Project 05-12 Served on Board of aNOMalY non-profit Contemporary Arts Organization 98-00 Brooklyn Technical High School, NY, English & Literature Teacher 1999 Private Tutor, Paris, France 96-97 Carl Duisberg Society, ESL Teacher, Cologne, Germany 94-95 Upward Bound Program, Binghamton, NY, Literature Teacher 94-95 Substitute Teacher, Binghamton, Endicott & Johnson City, NY School Districts 93-95 Upward Bound Program, Binghamton, NY, Counselor/Tutor
>> PRESS – SELECTION, MEDIA
2023 The 25 Best Coffee Shops in the U.S. Trips to Discover 2023 14 Best Small-Batch Coffee Roasters, Tasting Table 2023 Watching in the Wings, Mixing Metaphors 2023 The Ultimate Durham Checklist, Durham Magazine 2022 A Trio of Downtown Cafes Demonstrates the Power of Caring About More Than Just Commerce, Southern Urbanism Quarterly 2022 Making Waves, Ripple Effects Worth Traveling for--and Getting a Taste Of, Travel Zoo 2022 Discover Durham Podcast: Leon and Areli of Cocoa Cinnamon & Little Waves Coffee Roasters 2022 Pot Luck: A Wildlife Ecosystem in the Middle of a City? NC Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Program 2022 51 Best Coffee Shops in America, Food Network 2022 Pot Luck: Adventures in Urban Container Gardening NC Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Program 2022 Three Days in Durham, Our State Magazine 2022 The Influencers Issue - Durham Magazine 2022 The Best Coffee Roasters of 2022 - October 2021 - Gear Patrol 2021 Little Waves Coffee is Micro Roaster of the Year - Daily Coffee News 2021 The Pressures of The Small Coffee Biz - Huffington Post 2021 Making Waves: Durham coffee shop dubbed micro roaster of the year - Spectrum News 2021 Roaster of the Year - Micro Category Winner 2022 – Little Waves Coffee Roasters, Roast Magazine 2021 Presenting 2021 Micro Roaster of the Year Finalists - Daily Coffee News - Roast Magazine 2021 Cocoa Cinnamon's Love Letter to Coffee Culture - Barista Magazine 2021 Welcoming the Fourth Wave: A Toast to the Future of Coffee People - Barista Magazine 2020 Durham Coffee Roaster Named Finalist for Micro Roaster of the Year - Spectrum News 2020 Little Waves Coffee/Cocoa Cinnamon in North Carolina - Sprudge Spotlight Maps 2020 Constant Change - Fresh Cup Magazine 2020 How to Help North Carolina's Local Makers During Covid-19 - Eater Carolinas 2020 Small Durham café keeps staff employed through COVID-19 with simple, effective strategy 2019 The Best Lines of 2019 from Unpacking Coffee with Kandace and Ray - Daily Coffee News 2019 Thank you Ditta Artiginale and Welcome Little Waves Coffee Roasters - La Marzocco Cafe News 2018 Cocoa Cinnamon: Traveling the Spice Route at Durham's Own Bilingual Coffee Shop - Good Food Jobs 2017 True Life: Eagerly Awaiting Cocoa Cinnamon Number. 3 - Durham Magazine 2017 Why Durham, North Carolina is Worth a Weekend Trip -- Long-Distance Lover or No - New York Magazine 2016 7 Reasons to Love Durham, N.C. - The Toronto Star 2015 Inside the New Cocoa Cinnamon - Duke Chronicle 2015 24 U.S. Coffee Shops to Visit Before You Die - Buzzfeed 2014 Indy Week, Durham Magazine, Durham Herald-Sun, The News and Observer, WRAL, The Duke Chronicle 2013 The Independent Weekly, Southern Living, Triangle.com, Durham Magazine 2012 The Independent Weekly, Southern Living 2011 The Independent Weekly, Bull City Rising, The Herald-Sun 2006, 2009, 2010 Asheville Citizen-Times 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010 Mountain Xpress 2005, 2006, 2009 Smoky Mountain News 2009 Knoxville Sentinel 2010 WNC Magazine 2008 Youth Renewing the Countryside – Book 2007 Native Peoples Magazine 2007 Art of the Cherokee: Prehistory to Present, by Susan Power – Book 2004 The Cherokee One Feather, “LIFT Combines Coffeehouse Culture with Contemporary Art” 2004 Asheville Mountain Express, “Flights of Fancy,” Connie Bostic 2004 Durham Herald-Sun, “Runway Art Hails Wrights” 2004 Exhibition Essay and Book, “Without Fear or Reproach,” Churchill Haig 2003 Artforum, International, '24/7 Vilno-Nueva York--Critic's Picks' 2003 Koran Tempo, Jakarta, 'Mengemas Kritik Dalam Rekamen Video' 2003 Denver Post, Denver, 'Umbrella Makes a Splash!', Kyle MacMillan 2003 Denver Post, Denver, 'Paint the Town Red' 2002 Contemporary Magazine, London 'News: London', Richard Dyer 2002 Westword, Denver, 'Up, Up & Away' 2002 Filmkrant, The Netherlands, 'Honden en Rampen, Kurzfilmtage Oberhausen' 2002 Springerin, Austria, 'Pictures of War, Inscriptions of the Life-World', Carsten Hoeller 2002 Insight, Arizona, "ASU Film & Video Festival" 2002 Neuer Zurcher Zeitung, Switzerland, 'Mehr als nur 11. September, Sonderprogramm Katastrophen in Oberhausen' 2002 Kenntwort Kino, ZDF, Germany, Featured in television program 2001 Photo District News Magazine, International, '7th Annual Digital Imaging Winners'
Other
88-90 Participated in first junior Olympic Badminton Training Program at the USOEC, Marquette, Michigan, and Olympic Training Centers