Born in Miami to a food-loving Cuban and Spanish family, Danielle Alvarez first learnt to cook alongside her mother and grandmother. After studying art history, she followed her love of food to culinary school, then to California, where she worked at The French Laundry and Boulettes Larder before spending four formative years at Alice Waters’ Chez Panisse.

At Chez Panisse, Danielle developed the ingredient-led approach that continues to define her cooking. Alongside her skills in the kitchen, she gained a deeper understanding of how food is grown and the connections between farming, the land, our climate and our communities.

In 2014, Danielle was invited by Merivale to help create Fred’s in Sydney’s Paddington. She led the kitchen for nearly six years, earning critical acclaim for generous, seasonal cooking that placed carefully sourced produce at its heart.

Today, Danielle brings that same philosophy to her work as a cookbook author, Good Weekend recipe columnist and culinary director of events at the Sydney Opera House. Her food celebrates local ingredients at their freshest, prepared simply and with care.