Chef Daniela Gerson is our Chef of the Month for July!

Private Chef

www.ChefDanielaGerson.com

When did you know you wanted to be a chef? 

The path was definitely not a linear one for me! I quasi obsessively started cooking in my 30’s as part of my healing post a crazy 5 vertebrae back breakage extravaganza. During this time I found a quietness in the kitchen that I’ve never ever experienced anywhere else. In yoga class, while surfing, sometimes even while in conversation with other people, my mind never stops! Its usually racing a mile and minutes in 3 different languages and I’m that girl in Shavasana making a to do list. But not in the kitchen! I find that my mind just stopped and I would be holly present for hours on end. I absolutely positively fell in love with cooking during this time and ending up moving to Kauai part time and living on a garden/farm.  It was while on island that I was inspired to pursue cooking professionally and where I made the initial career change, working a as a Private Chef in Kauai for 2 years before moving my business back to Cali during the Spring of 2018.  And then expanding it to include food photography shortly there after….

What are your hobbies outside of the kitchen?

Surfing & Photography. And pretty much anything outside in nature.

Everyone remembers their first encounter with burrata, what is yours?

Uh-oh…..to be honest I don’t exactly remember where I was but I do clearly remember that the first time I had burrata I didn’t understand where it had been all my life and what I had been doing with mozzarella. Sorry mozzarella but I like burrata soooooo much better!!!

If you could make dinner for one person, who would it be?

Alice Waters! She is a continuous source of inspiration to me and I absolutely love what she’s doing with the Edible Schoolyard Project. I’ve seen her speak 3 times in the last 6 months, most recently last week where she spoke about how we vote for what kind of world we want to live in by what we choose to eat. Id love to cook for her and pick her brain nonstop!

What is your favorite dish to cook and why? 

JMy favorite is really to go to a farmers market anywhere in the world and see what looks the very best and then make up a recipe based on that. I rather decide my dish based on the freshest local ingredients rather than pick a dish in my mind and then try force the ingredient availability to fit in it. That said, both my parents are from Mexico City and my go to impromptu dinner spread, especially when traveling, is a taco bar extravaganza. Give me any local ingredients and proteins anywhere in the world and I’ll make an abundant feast of home made salsas and taco fillings! I actually made one just last night for a bunch of friends. I rarely do a taco spread for my clients so its been additionally nice to reserve this one type of spread for my personal cooking as it’s definitely my go to hosting and comfort food.