Hi everyone! My name is Dan, I’m a father to two amazing daughters, husband to my beautiful wife Brittany, self-taught home cook, and the creator of the Informal Gourmet. Cooking and travel have always been my true passions, and it’s been a dream of mine for years to share my cooking with the world. After all, my happy place is in the kitchen, enjoying food, drinks, and laughter with my friends and family!

Although I do not work as a professional chef, I spent almost 12 years working in restaurants, from local bar and grill to some of the best fine dining establishments. Interestingly, although I’ve always felt comfortable in the kitchen, I never worked back of house, but years of serving and bartending exposed me to great food and great wine! (and I think I always got along better with the kitchen crew than the front of house!)

The Informal Gourmet is a look into the culinary world from my point of view – I always cook seasonally- inspired dishes, and use local ingredients whenever possible. For recipe inspiration, I look to past experiences – whether that be a dish by one of the amazing chefs I was fortunate enough to work for or dine with, or a dish that left a mark on me – whether that be a bowl of noodles on the street in Thailand, a plate of fresh fish and veggies served by a boat capitan in Belize, or a 5 course meal at one of the best restaurants in my hometown. My goal is to encourage everyone to want to cook, and to get pleasure from creating a beautiful, delicious dish and sharing it with their friends and family.