From Steven Starr to El Camino: An Operator’s Quickfire with Dan Siegelman

#120

Josh sits down for a quickfire episode with Dan Siegelman, a New Jersey native and JWU alum who cut his teeth working for industry heavyweights like Stephen Starr, Michael Mina, and the late Michael Chiarello. Currently leading the culinary operations for El Camino, a high-volume Mexican concept in Florida, Dan shares his insights on the shifting restaurant real estate landscape in Miami and his deep dive into authentic Mexican cuisine, highlighting the complex sauce work and diverse dried chilies his team utilizes daily.

The conversation moves into the rapid-fire round where Dan reveals why he despises the word "heard" on the line, the absolute tragedy of losing his physical recipe notebooks to a late-night bag theft, and why the fat from braised short ribs is the most underutilized byproduct in professional kitchens. He also shares a hilarious (and highly embarrassing) hazing story involving "club baby seal" from his time as a young sous chef at Bottega, his unapologetic method for a cast-iron Texas Toast grilled cheese, and a crucial leadership lesson about stepping back and letting your team fail so they can ultimately grow.

Timestamps

01:48 Dan's background and working for Stephen Starr and Michael Mina

04:24 The Miami rent crisis and its impact on independent restaurants

08:18 Menu R&D, Salsa Macha, and utilizing diverse Mexican chilies

13:00 The devastating story of losing years of recipe notebooks to a theft

21:25 The best dish he ever ate: The French Laundry's suckling pig

23:25 Giving flowers to Alex Lee and John Sergi

25:27 Why kitchens waste too much root vegetable tops and braising fat

29:04 An embarrassing hazing story involving Michael Chiarello and a seafood order

32:40 The specific technique for a cast-iron Texas Toast grilled cheese

34:37 A leadership lesson on micromanagement and letting your team fail

Links and resources 📌

Visit meez: https://www.getmeez.com

Follow meez on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/getmeez

Follow Josh on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joshlsharkey/?hl=en

Follow Josh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-sharkey-406965b/

Visit El Camino: https://modernrestaurantgroup.com/el-camino-locations/

Follow Dan Siegelman on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chef5.0/?hl=en

Follow Dan Siegelman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-siegelman-b4a44370/