Daniel defines intimate dining from his Because The Wind farm to table culinary dinners set in the chef’s private loft. His vibrant presentation and warm hospitality are characteristics of an authentically crafted LA respite, with eight courses to convince you a home cooked meal is always best. The plated event also acts as an experiment, melding people with art and food, all while acting as an immersive catalyst for connection. It is clear this lyricist disguised as a chef creates with vision and intention with all he does and we took pleasure in witnessing this firsthand.
What led you to become a chef?
There are so many instances in our lives that you try to pinpoint as the “aha” moment of self-realization, the moment you figure out what it is you want to become. For me, being a chef materialized during college. I dual majored in Anthropology and Sociology and amidst learning about cultural landscapes and behaviors I was awestruck by the beauty and knowledge that food held. It is the driving force of cultural exchange.
What is "Because the Wind”?
Because the Wind, is the name of a private dining “restaurant/party” at my loft in Downtown L.A. Its name derives meaning from the notion that beauty is a function of the rusticity of nature. The wind is an analogy of time.
I created Because the Wind as a way to cook the food that I love in an atmosphere free from pretense or standardization. It is both a social function and experiment, and perhaps a product of my studies, to create an environment where strangers meet one another amidst music, art and food.
If you could have anything for your birthday meal -- what would you have?
Thinly sliced raw conch with lemon and salt, while sitting on a beach somewhere off the south atlantic coast..
If you were to write a book about your life, what would it be called?
Because the Wind.
Favorite restaurant?
I tell my self that I have not found it yet so that I strive to create it, but so far, the most perfect meal I have had was at a small restaurant in Kyoto called Gion Owatari. It was a small but perfect little space. When you enter you walk through a small garden into the private 8 seat bar where the chef questions your notion of restraint and beauty dish after dish.
What inspires your food?
My food is inspired by fallen trees, weathered rocks and the cracks in old buildings.
What’s one question you are asking yourself these days?
How do I preserve ideas while continually changing?
What is your ultimate vision?
To be able to make others feel some type of emotion through my food, preferably good emotions
What rituals keep you in a creative state?
Drinking coffee, daydreaming and being immersed in nature.
