Danny was brought up in Sydney. His introduction to the hospitality industry was at the age of 16 while still at school when he washed up after 1000 millionaires at a BBQ function at the St Ives Showground. Other BBQ functions included cooking for Princess Anne, American President Jimmy Carter and Cheech and Chong.

After school he did his apprenticeship at ‘Fishwives Restaurant’ in Surry Hills, which was then regarded as one of the best seafood restaurants in Sydney. Fresh seafood arrived daily including fish, live crayfish and crabs. Danny soon worked his way up to Head Chef. It was here that he befriended Tetsuya Wakuda, whom he employed as a kitchen-hand. Tetsuya was to become a great friend and a positive influence on Danny over the years.

Then in 1984 it was off to Perth with his partner Sue for a one-year-stint at a 300 seat revolving restaurant called ‘Hilite 33’ just after Bond won the America’s Cup. This was a real eye-opener for Danny.

Danny’s love of seafood was further enhanced when he moved back to Sydney and worked at Spitler’s Restaurant near the Spit Bridge. A tiny kitchen with only an ice cream freezer, regular trips to the fish markets and a blackboard menu proved challenging but rewarding.

Danny was offered the chance to move to Queensland as Executive Chef to open the new 5-star ‘Ocean International Resort Hotel’ in Mackay and took it. The thought of all that Queensland seafood was exciting. It was here in 1987 that Danny won the local ‘Chef Extraordinaire’ competition and was accused of being a ‘fresh fanatic’, an accusation he happily accepts.

In 1989 Danny and his growing family moved back to the Redcliffe Peninsula, which he has called home ever since, always with the dream of opening his own restaurant. Three years ago in 2007 this dream came true when he and his partner opened Danny’s Scarborough Beach Restaurant on the waterfront.

For these past three years, Danny has continued to search for the freshest produce available. Whilst the restaurant is not a ‘seafood restaurant’ its reputation for providing diners with the freshest all-Australian seafood is second to none. And using the same local butcher for the past 14 years, who knows how fanatical Danny is about his produce, the whole menu -with plenty of gluten-free options - reflects his high standards.