Daniel

My name is Daniel, and I’m the chef and owner of El Apartamento. I was born in Bucaramanga, Colombia, where I spent most of my life until 2019, when I emigrated to the United States in search of new opportunities and with the unshakable determination to pursue my dreams. From a young age, I fell in love with cooking alongside my grandmother and mother. They taught me a priceless lesson: for food to truly taste good, it must be cooked with your heart and seasoned with love. My curiosity led me to explore every detail, cuts, textures, flavors, and aromas, always with a smile and a relentless desire to learn. That passion sparked the dream of one day opening my own restaurant. I spent years studying recipes, experimenting with flavors and techniques, and eventually opened my first gourmet lunch restaurant in Colombia. Unfortunately, due to safety concerns, I was forced to leave my country. But I didn’t give up. I carried my dream with me across borders and started over in the United States, working as a dishwasher. With discipline and passion, I worked my way up through every kitchen station, eventually becoming a catering company manager. Then came the boldest decision of my life to leave behind stability and take the leap into entrepreneurship. That leap gave life to "El Apartamento" a place where every dish tells a story of perseverance, love, and dreams fulfilled.