OUR Team
ROBERT LEBLANC
FOUNDER + CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Upon graduating from Loyola University New Orleans, Robert LeBlanc started a record label, Renaissance Records, that evolved into an event planning and guerrilla marketing firm called The Renaissance Initiative. His first hospitality project was music venue Republic New Orleans, with hotel bars LePhare and Loa New Orleans following shortly thereafter. LeBlanc opened his first restaurant, Sylvain, in October 2010. In 2014, he created LeBLANC+SMITH, which is a boutique hospitality portfolio that now also includes The Will & The Way Bar, Barrel Proof Bar, Barracuda Taco Bar, Anna’s Bar and boutique hotel The Chloe. Robert is married to Danielle Webb and has two sons, Bear and Will and calls Uptown New Orleans home.
Crystal McDonald
CHIEF OF STAFF
Originally from Houston, TX, Crystal graduated from Dillard University with a degree in Economics and Finance and received her Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. She experienced her first taste of hospitality as a young child, growing up with parents and grandparents who owned and operated restaurants and bars in her hometown. Crystal, later owned and operated her own quick service restaurants in partnership with her husband and created a video interview platform that allowed employers in the service industry to assess candidates skills and values quickly without sacrificing quality. From there, co-founded a staffing company with a specific interest in driving talent to hospitality businesses across the country. In her role as Chief of Staff, she is accountable for the development and well being of all employees in addition to overseeing overall productivity, operations and strategic initiatives of the company.
Alexis Tabor
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF HOSPITALITY + DEVELOPMENT
Having moved from New England to attend Loyola University New Orleans, Alexis opened and was the first General Manager of LeBLANC+SMITH’s flagship restaurant, Sylvain, in 2010. After four years there, she pursued a greater depth of hospitality experience at Restaurant R'evolution, Courtyard Brewery, Sneaky Pickle (her family's restaurant), and Momofuku's Nishi in New York City. After moving back to New Orleans, Alexis opened The Chloe as it’s General Manager in 2020 and led the hotel to much fanfare and critical acclaim. In 2022, she became the Executive Director of Hospitality and Development for LeBLANC+SMITH. Alexis is truly passionate about wine and has her Certification with the Court of Master Sommeliers and WSET II. She lives in the Seventh Ward with her partner Aaron Luther, and is actively working on publishing her first short story.
Lindsay Oliver
DIRECTOR OF FINANCE
Lindsay got her start in hospitality at the Manly Wharf Hotel near Sydney, Australia. The day her beloved New Orleans Saints won the Super Bowl in 2010, Lindsay decided to move back to her adopted hometown of New Orleans, where the New York native had lived while attending Tulane University. For the next decade, she worked as a bartender, beverage instructor, and General Manager at The Maison on Frenchmen Street before taking over Cavan as its General Manager in early 2020. In the fall of 2021, she was promoted to the LeBLANC+SMITH team as its Financial Controller. Lindsay loves all things New Orleans: its food, its music, and its culture. However, her heart truly belongs to the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans and her beloved Tulane Green Wave as is as avid a fan of all three as you will find anywhere in New Orleans.
MAGGIE BONDI
DIRECTOR OF EVENTS
Maggie Bondi moved to Chicago to pursue a career in hospitality with the acclaimed Boka Restaurant Group, where she would go on to receive the Women in Culinary Leadership Grant from the James Beard Foundation in 2016. This program took Maggie from Chicago to Denver. There, she studied under female leaders in the restaurant industry, regenerative farmers and ranchers. This led to Maggie’s following her heart and stomach in deciding to move to her favorite city in the world, New Orleans, where she would become LeBLANC+SMITH’s Director of Events. Maggie also leverages her hospitality expertise to raise awareness for important causes including food insecurity and criminal justice reform through several volunteer efforts. In her personal time, Maggie enjoys hiking and kayaking, collecting vintage cookbooks, and spending time with her dog, Duckie.
WHITLEY DANIEL
EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT
Raised in Eugene Oregon, Whitley fell in love with hospitality through hosting candlelit dinners while attending Tulane University in New Orleans. While finishing college, he opened two restaurants with BRG. Whitley then moved to Alta, Utah to learn how hotels operate at The Goldminer’s Daughter Lodge. He later returned to New Orleans to join The Chloe team in February of 2021. After growing into a leadership role there, Whitley joined the LeBLANC+SMITH team as CEO Robert LeBlanc’s Executive Assistant. Outside of work, he is fulfilled by New Orleans’ joie de vivre and frequents most of the live music venues throughout town.
MANAGING PARTNERS
LIAM DEEGAN
MANAGING PARTNER
BARREL PROOF, ANNA’S, THE WILL & THE WAY
Liam Deegan hails from Providence, RI and attended Loyola University New Orleans. His first job bartending was on Bourbon Street, before becoming the Beverage Director at Sylvain in the French Quarter. In founding Barrel Proof and partnering in Anna’s & The Will and The Way, he began his lifelong pursuit of creating world-class neighborhood bars where someone can get an excellent cocktail or a rare spirit but would feel equally comfortable ordering a beer and a shot.
ANNA GIORDANO
MANAGING PARTNER
ANNA’S
Anna Giordano has been living and working in New Orleans for a decade. The most rewarding part of hospitality for her is the comradery. The Cheers of it all. While she has excelled in the craft of mixing drinks, she values modesty and inclusivity over "look what I can do" bar experiences. She has been hosting parties and events since childhood and holds the highest esteem for fun kitschy trinkets, events and imagery. Mix that all together and you can imagine a pretty apt account of what she and her team have molded Anna's to be. Anna is also a partner in a gallery pop-up held upstairs at Anna's called Salon D'Whatever, which is a collaborative effort to bring her love of art, community, spirits, and hospitality into one.
JASON SORBET
MANAGING PARTNER
BARREL PROOF - NASHVILLE
Jason Sorbet is a New Orleans native who found his footing behind the bar early in life at 21st Amendment Bar in the French Quarter while also earning his degree in Neuroscience. Of the two paths, he chose bartending. Jason joined the Barrel Proof team in 2017, he quickly rose to a leadership position before moving on to develop the cocktail and beverage program for the opening of The Chloe. He is now located in Nashville to lead the expansion of the Barrel Proof brand as Managing Partner.
TRISTAN FERCHL
MANAGING PARTNER
THE WILL & THE WAY
Tristan has spent the past decade in New Orleans’ hospitality scene. The Miami native started out as a short order cook and quickly moved into the coffee industry, where he discovered his passion for beverage programs. After the Miami native opened Piscobar at the Catahoula Hotel, Tristan joined the bar team at Sylvain in 2017. He has been with LeBLANC + SMITH ever since, serving as Bar Director and Interim General Manager at Sylvain before opening the Will and The Way as Managing Partner alongside Josh Williams. His favorite moments behind the bar are when he can help guests discover something new, be that anything from their first sip of amaro to an elevated version of a Cosmopolitan.
JOSH WILLIAMS
MANAGING PARTNER
THE WILL & THE WAY
Josh’s earliest culinary memories include fishing, hunting, picking berries and foraging with his godmother on the Western banks of the Mississippi River in Napoleonville, LA. He found a home in professional kitchens during high school before joining the Army at age 18. After five years of active duty, Josh pursued culinary studies at Delgado Community College. He honed his skills in legendary New Orleans kitchens like Brennan’s, The American Sector, Besh Steakhouse and Restaurant August. Josh grew to become Executive Sous Chef at Warbucks and, later, Compère Lapin. He rejoined his mentor and close friend, Chef Todd Pulsinelli, to open The Chloe before moving on to open The Will and The Way as its Managing Partner.
OUR
COMMUNITY
We are rooted in and of the south. In addition to our teams, it takes a village to make LeBLANC + SMITH what it is day in and day out. The list below reflects partners we admire and make our community what it is .