Humble Beginnings
Danielle was born and raised in Montana and spent her undergraduate years working in the best restaurants in the Palouse. If you haven’t been, let us be the first to tell you. Nestled between two college towns and an impressive expanse of farmland, the Palouse is home to a surprising number of noteworthy restaurants. While it is true the seeds that fuel Danielle’s passion for food had been planted much earlier on, her time in Moscow watered and nurtured those seeds, and helped to hone and define the person she would become.
Though Danielle spent most of her time in the industry working as a craft bartender and server while earning her undergraduate degrees, it was clear to all those around her the back of house was where she truly belonged.
Enter
Back of House
Most often, you would find Danielle working directly alongside the chef deboning fresh fish flown in from Seattle, plating desserts with the utmost detail, and learning everything she could from the talent around her. These were not job requirements, of course, but no task was out of bounds for Danielle. She wanted to learn everything and she recognized she was working with the best in the industry. This was a major period of expansion and growth.
A Period of Growth
Fast-forward to today. Danielle is the Executive Chef and Owner of Apericena, the founder of Haute Foods, and is actively working towards her second brick-and-mortar, Le Hélèn.