David "Deets" Hoffman '06

When DEETS HOFFMAN ’06 got the call that he was receiving the Maverick Award, he was honored and surprised. The term “maverick,” he admits, feels strong—reserved for someone doing something especially bold. To his classmates and many other fellow alumni, though, the award is a perfect fit. Classmate KEVIN DOWLEN ’06 says, “Deets has had an independent and creative spirit as long as I've known him.” JOHN GRIFFIN ’06 describes him as, “the most fiercely independent, creative, lovably 'weird' contrarian I know. He always took his own path.” 

As a student, Hoffman recalls, “I was really curious, and I was always trying to do things my way.” He wanted to be an entrepreneur from a young age. A “lifer” at St. John’s, his friends knew him well, predicting in the 2006 yearbook that he would be CEO of a Chain of Sandwich Shacks “In Twenty Years.” Today, Hoffman is founder & CEO of Leaf & Grain, a healthy restaurant chain, and Murray’s Pizza & Wine. 

 

Hoffman credits those friends with his successes: “Coming up through St. John’s and knowing each other as long as we have, we have a ‘unique’ bond ... We keep each other in check,” he says. “That’s driven the authenticity of our restaurant brands; I’d never hear the end of it if I did something contrived. They aren’t afraid to speak up if they don’t like a menu decision either,” he laughs, “But deep down, they’re really supportive.” 

 

While SJS was challenging academically, it prepared him for Washington & Lee, where he was pleasantly surprised to find that college was easier than St. John’s. After graduating with a degree in business, his early career followed a conventional path—management consulting at BCG, followed by private equity—but entrepreneurship was always the end goal. Working in New York, he spent lunch breaks studying restaurant business models, intrigued by their economics and growth potential. At the time, Houston’s healthy fast-casual market felt underserved, and Hoffman saw opportunity. 

 

He opened the first Leaf & Grain in 2017 in downtown Houston. “I thought it was going to be easy. I even looked into what jobs I might pick up on the side,” he says, shaking his head. “In reality, it was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Every day, three of four workers would no-show. Suppliers would send us unusable product. I’d get in at 6 a.m. and end up cutting chicken and doing dishes until midnight. It went on like that for over a year.” All the while, they had lines out the door, and once operations stabilized, he opened his second location downtown. 

 

Within weeks, COVID hit, and downtown became a ghost town overnight. The business endured, and that period forced important reflection and improvement. As office life returned, to his surprise, demand surged well beyond pre-pandemic levels and expansion followed. 

 

Intent on building a 100-year company, Hoffman is big on “responsible growth” and has been selective with new sites. Sometimes, though, when it rains, it pours, and 2025 tested him: three new locations in two months, including a new concept, Murray’s Pizza & Wine. In the middle of all that, Deets and his wife, Murray, welcomed their first child. 

 

Classmate LYDIA BRANTLEY MABRY ’06 says of Deets’ career, “Watching him develop his idea—with a blend of art and science—you could see the imprint of St. John’s. Deets’s was both a passionate and intellectual pursuit, bolstered by a confidence and drive built among the storied cloisters.” Deets credits the School with instilling a rigorous work ethic, attention to detail, and a standard for doing things the right way. 

Reflecting on his time at SJS, Hoffman said, “I want students to know that I had plenty of ups and downs in my academic career at St. John’s. Life is not a straight line up and to the right. There were many years that I wasn’t a great student, and I wasn’t alone in that either; some of the most successful people in our class were not rockstar students. We all have different strengths, and there are periods of struggle and moments of doubt. Just keep chipping away at it, and trust that those times make you stronger and prepare you for life ahead. Don’t give up on yourself. Success is about perseverance.”