Meet Chef Patino

Award-winning Executive Chef. Culinary ninja. All-around nice guy.

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Our master chef.

Award-winning Executive Chef Daniel Patino brings his extensive culinary background to Salad and Go, designing a menu with a focus on unique flavor combinations that truly showcase ingredients to make salads memorable. Is he some kind of Salad Sorcerer? No. Well, kind of. It’s his wide range of working with all types of ingredients and restaurant settings that makes Salad and Go’s meals so delicious and craveable.

 

Known for being the Executive Chef of Bourbon Steak at the 5-diamond Fairmont Scottsdale Princess Resort, Chef Patino has worked in acclaimed restaurants including Michelin 3-starred The French Laundry in Yountville, Daniel in New York City, Charlie Trotter’s in Chicago, and Stars in San Francisco and Seattle. He’s received recognition by the Michelin Guide from 2007-2010 while heading the kitchen at Arcadia Modern American Steakhouse in San Jose, California, and was awarded Best Chef and Best American Restaurant by the San Jose Mercury in 2009.

 

Trained at the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco, Chef Patino loves to use fresh, whole and natural ingredients in his food. That passion came through when he was selected by Marriott Hotel in 2010 for a cooking tour in Asia, where he led a team of thirty chefs to present California-style cuisine.

 

Chef Patino’s dedicated respect for fresh, whole food ingredients and keen understanding of flavor and taste reflects in every one of our salads – hopefully bringing you back for the umpteenth time just like his Caesar did (and still does!) for our founders.

Two photos of Chef Patino in a kitchen

Get to know Chef.

How has being a professional chef changed your outlook on food and ingredients?

I’ve been very fortunate to travel and cook with different ingredients of the world. The one common thing that brings people together is food. You have to get out of your comfort zone and explore the different culture flavors to appreciate yours.

What inspired your design of the Salad and Go menu?

I wanted to show people that healthy food can taste great and be good for you. I wanted to bring the drive of top-notch restaurants to people on a daily basis. “How can I make this better for you?” That question is what keeps me going.

What is your favorite thing to cook?

I absolutely love cooking pasta. It’s my happy place. It’s special to me because everything has to balance perfectly or it’s just plain. The other is cooking with eggs. Every culture in the world uses it in their cuisine and it’s the most versatile – transforming from liquid to solid, savory to sweet, light to hearty. It is truly magical.

Be honest, did you eat all your fruits and veggies as a kid?

Yes, especially the candy-coated ones.