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Danielle Custer | Director, TASTE Danielle Custer graduated from the Culinary Institute of America and began her illustrious career as the chef de cuisine at the since-closed Fullers restaurant at the Sheraton Seattle. It was during her five-year tenure there that she discovered a respect for the Northwest’s bounty, developing a palate for pristine, seasonal ingredients. Her time in Seattle planted the roots of her commitment to sustainable agriculture. In 1996, she became the executive chef at Laurels restaurant in Dallas, Texas, a move that would prove fruitful two years later when Food & Wine Magazine named her one of America’s Best New Chefs of 1998. Following that accolade was the “Rising Star Chef” award from the James Beard Foundation in 1999. Despite such glory, she missed the home where she cut her teeth as a professional chef. So, in 2001, she returned to Seattle to open 727 Pine at the Elliott Grand Hyatt Hotel. Danielle currently is director at Bon Appétit Management Company, overseeing TASTE Restaurant/Café/Events at the Seattle Art Museum. She has spearheaded a comprehensive sustainability campaign that has poured more than $1.3 million into the local agricultural economy. She is a member of Les Dames d’Escoffier, Slow Food, and Women Chefs & Restaurateurs |
