Danyele McPherson
Chef de Cuisine
The Grape

Danyele McPherson was named Chef de Cuisine of the popular Grape Restaurant in October 2012. The Grape has garnered numerous awards including Best Burger in Texas (Texas Monthly), Best Brunch (D Magazine), Best Neighborhood Bistro (Modern Luxury), Most Romantic Restaurant (Dallas Voice) and more. Chef Danyele joined “the team” in May 2011 as Sous Chef alongside Chef/Owner Brian C. Luscher, where she was quickly promoted into her current position. Her menus reflect her interest in fresh, seasonal, local fare, and making simple flavors and classic dishes new and exciting. Previously Chef Danyele attended the prestigious Culinary Institute of America and left the program in 2008 to pursue an internship with famed Chef Stephan Pyles at his namesake restaurant. Danyele advanced from intern to Sous Chef in less than 2 years and was one of the leading culinary forces behind Fuego, Pyles's multi-course tasting menu featuring modern cooking technique. For more information about Chef Danyele and The Grape visit www.thegraperestaurant.com

Nathan Tate
Chef
Boulevardier

When Nathan Tate was a young boy a family friend asked him, “what do you want to be when you grow up?” He replied, “I don’t know what I want to be, but I want my own refrigerator.” Nathan has had a passion for food since an early age. His main culinary influences stem from his mother, Nancy and grandmother, Lucile. Nancy owned Goliad House Restaurant in Rockwall, catered for the Dallas Cowboys and wrote a food column in the local newspaper. She instilled the flavors of New England while Lucile cooked classic southern cuisine.

Nathan is a third generation Rockwall native and has been involved in the restaurant industry for over eight years. In 2002 he entered El Centro college where he met Randall Copeland and soon graduated with a degree in the culinary arts. He later worked with Randall and Executive Chef Keith Champy at Eastern Hills Country Club where he became a Sous Chef.

In the Summer 2007 Nathan helped open Fearing’s at the Ritz Carlton Dallas, where he worked under Dean Fearing. Nathan decided to leave Fearing’s to pursue his dream of opening a restaurant in his hometown of Rockwall, Texas. Nathan currently resides in Rockwall with Laura, his wife of four years, and his golden retriever Reese.

Randall Copeland
Chef
Restaurant Ava

Randall Copeland was born and raised in East Dallas. Most of his life has been centered in the restaurant business. Between 1987 and 1989 he attended the culinary program at Skyline High School, it was there that he was introduced to the professional kitchen.

Through his twenties he waited tables and cooked in restaurants across Dallas. In 1999, he decided to go back to school and study the Culinary Arts and has never looked back. From 1999-2002 he attended El Centro College in Downtown Dallas.

The early part of his culinary career began under supervision of Chef Billy Webb at the Park Cities Hilton. Under Chef Webb he honed his knife skills and learned the basic principles of French and Creole cuisine.

From the Hilton he moved to Eastern Hills Country Club in Garland in order to learn different technique and see another side of the business. After three months as a line cook he was promoted to Sous Chef. It was under Chef Keith Champy that he really began to understand the business side of running a kitchen and restaurant. After two years at Eastern Hills he began to get the urge to learn more refined techniques and get into fine dining.

Through a friend he was introduced to Colleen O’haire, the Executive Chef of The Green Room, she offered him a Sous Chef position and he accepted. It was at the Green Room where he was first introduced to fresh seasonal ingredients. Since this moment he has been a changed chef. Chef O’haire introduced a new style of cooking that would change his view of food forever.

After a trip to Las Vegas in 2004 he was offered a cook’s position at Bradley Ogden inside Caesar’s Palace, a James Beard Award Winning restaurant. Here he worked his way up to Sous Chef after a year and continued at Bradley’s until late 2007. It was here that he met Chef Teddy as well.

After returning to Texas he decided that it was time to work for himself and thus the concept for AVA began. With longtime friend and Chef Nathan Tate the two began throwing around ideas and looking for locations.

In the meantime, another friend and chef introduced him to chef Graham Dodds of Bolsa, in Oak Cliff, and the two quickly found that their attitude towards food was very similar. Randall worked side by side with Chef Dodds creating local seasonal menus nightly. He worked at Bolsa until his own endeavor made it too much to juggle the two projects.

In October of 2008 he left Bolsa, so that he could focus all of his energies toward Restaurant AVA with Nathan Tate.

Bruno Davaillon
Executive Chef
Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek

Bruno Davaillon joined Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek as executive chef in October 2009. Prior to his arrival, he was the executive chef of Mix, an Alain Ducasse restaurant, at Mix at THEHotel in Las Vegas. During his five-year tenure at Mix, Davaillon earned a Michelin star in 2008 and 2009 and won many accolades for the restaurant, including “Best Restaurant” by Travel + Leisure’s design awards.

Davaillon is a native of the Loire Valley in France, where he grew up on a farm and learned to appreciate fresh ingredients. In 1982, he graduated from Lycee Hotelier Chateauroux in Chateauroux, France, where he received his CAP-BEP Cuisine Classique. For the next five years, Davaillon gained experience as the Premier Commis in two Paris restaurants – Restaurant La Ligne and Restaurant Lasserre, then rated two-stars by Michelin. He then moved to London to work in the legendary restaurant Tante Claire, then a three-star Michelin restaurant.

In 1989, Davaillon gained valuable experience in luxury hospitality when he became Chef de Partie at Chateau de Locguenole, a 30-room Relais & Chateaux property. He went on to serve in the kitchen at other Relais & Chateaux properties, eventually working his way to executive sous chef at Le Ferme Saint Simeon where the restaurant was awarded two Michelin stars.

In 1997, Davaillon brought his talent to America, first working as a private chef for a United Nations Ambassador, then as chef du cuisine at the St. Regis Los Angeles, where he launched Encore, named one of the best 10 new restaurants by Esquire magazine. Davaillon moved up the coast to San Francisco where he joined Restaurant Beaucoup, a fine-dining establishment recognized as one of the five best places to eat in San Francisco by Bon Appetit magazine.

Davaillon’s cuisine defies narrow description; rather, it reveals the brilliance of simplicity. His approach involves choosing the freshest, finest ingredients and combining them to maximize flavor and texture.

Bruno lives in Dallas with his wife and son.

Abraham Salum
Chef/Owner
Komali Restaurant

With Lebanese, Italian and Spanish heritage, Abraham Salum grew up in Mexico City and is a graduate of New England Culinary Institute in Montpelier, Vermont. He continued his education by working in kitchens in France, Belgium, Mexico and the United States. His vision is to create restaurants that set standards, rather than following them. Salum is committed to overseeing food and beverage destinations that are celebrated by guests, distinguished by extraordinary food , and staffed by attentive professionals well educated on cuisine and wine. A highlight for chef/owner Abraham was becoming a US Citizen in 2010 as he celebrated the Fifth Anniversary of his popular namesake restaurant and opening Komali to showcase the contemporary Mexican cuisine he grew up with in early 2011.

The recipient of numerous local accolades, Abraham was invited to cook at the famed James Beard House in New York in Oct., 2011, and was recognized by Esquire Magazine’s food critic John Mariani in his ‘best new restaurants’ issue as leading the trend toward authentic, contemporary Mexican cuisine in the US.

Anastacia Quiñones
Chef
Komali Restaurant

Anastacia Quiñones was born and raised in Dallas, TX. Growing up, her mother was a part-time caterer. She grew more intrigued with cooking and knew if she wanted to make it a career she was going to have to study.

After graduating from The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY, Anastacia traveled to San Francisco, California. Working under the Two Michelin Star recipient, Chef Laurent Manrique, Anastacia almost immediately learned French cuisine would be the base for all of her future cooking.

As she began seeking greater challenges she embarked on a Chef de Partie position for which she now considers her mentor, Traci De Jardin. At Jardinière, she not only refined her palette but discovered her love for sustainable, local and seasonal product. She was present as Chef Tournade when Jardinière won the coveted James Beard award in 2007 after being nominated for ten years.

When she moved back to Dallas in 2008, she found t balance between California cuisine and Dallas fare with Consilient Group. What began as a part time line cook position quickly turned into a full time Sous Chef position at Victor Tangos. Her freedom to express her knowledge for California cuisine flourished and is well illustrated on Victor Tangos menu today.

Janice Provost
Chef/Owner
Parigi

Janice Provost entered the restaurant world because of a love for cooking, creating, and pleasing her guests. While enrolled in the culinary program at El Centro College, she was invited into the kitchen at Parigi. What started out as a once a week shift, turned into a full-time position, and after a few years, ownership of Parigi.

Janice is involved with several organizations that help her give back to the community, network , and fine tune her craft. She is a member of Les Dames d’ Escoffier, Dallas Farmers Market Friends, and Vice President of the Greater Dallas Restaurant Association. She is also working to start a non profit restaurant called Café Momentum, which will help disadvantaged young adults and displaced individuals pursue a career in the restaurant industry.

An enthusiastic writer and teacher, Janice has been published in Edible Dallas, a local quarterly magazine, and is currently working on producing a cookbook celebrating 27 years of recipes from her restaurant, Parigi. Additionally, she frequently teaches cooking classes at local cooking schools. Janice’s media experiences include appearances on local television cooking segments, and a role as a featured chef in a movie called Dinner, produced by Gary Cogill, in January of 2010. Janice was also invited to audition for Food Network’s Next Food Network Star, and was a finalist in the selection process.

When asked what her favorite part of her role as chef/owner of Parigi is, Janice says it’s a three way tie: The process of designing a changing menu bi-weekly is a creative outlet for Janice. Searching for local products to incorporate into her menus is like going on a treasure hunt. Secondly, she loves the excitement of the dinner rush. When speed and timing are paramount, Janice is there executing her craft with energy and a smile. Finally, Janice loves the interaction with her guests. Parigi has many “regulars”, and most will stop by the kitchen to say hello before being seated. She makes her guests feel as though they are in their own dining room.

With a commitment to community, quality, and a passion for food and a love of the restaurant business, Janice Provost is living her dream.