Esoteric Executive Chef Infuses Passion Into Work

The COVID-19 crisis has affected many aspects of life across the region and across the globe, including dining out. Until breweries, distilleries, restaurants, specialty food stores and wineries open their doors again for regular business, I’ll be profiling folks in the industry, telling you a little about them and what they do and how the virus outbreak has touched their lives. I’ll also ask them to share recipes, tips and tricks.

Name: Brett McDaniel, 26

Title: Executive chef

Brett McDaniel believes good food comes from the heart.

“You have to truly love this and live this,” says the Esoteric executive chef. “I can honestly say it is one of the hardest things I have ever had to do, and every second of it is worth it because of my passion for putting out amazing food and flavors. I want people to be able to taste that, and that is how I want to leave my mark on the world.”

McDaniel, who has been cooking professionally for a decade, started washing dishes at Catch 31 in summer 2010. He has been at Esoteric, a modern American restaurant with a slight Mediterranean influence located in the ViBe district, since 2016.

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Click here to see the full Article on Esoteric Lunch by the Virginia Pilot