Our Culinary Team

We develop the best products using the best ingredients to really deliver and perform for our customers." – Chef Dan

A Culinary Journey

Growing up in Central New York, Dan’s interest in cooking started at a very young age. He learned how to cook from his mother and grandmother using fresh ingredients, bold ethnic flavors and cooking techniques with lots of love. Dan was so focused on learning his craft that, by the time he was a freshman in high school, he knew he wanted to work in a professional kitchen. After working at local restaurants and graduating high school, Dan attended the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY and was amazed at the bounty of local ingredients that the Hudson Valley had to offer.

After graduating from the CIA, Dan’s culinary journey took him to the Trellis Restaurant in Williamsburg, VA. There Dan worked for James Beard Award-winning chef and CIA alum Marcel Desaulniers author of the Trellis Cookbook, Death By Chocolate and other award-winning cookbooks. Dan's wife Alisha joined him on his journey as he gained valuable experience as a corporate chef for a large contract foodservice company and a retail grocery company.  Dan was also fortunate to partner with Dr. Michael Roizen, MD, Chief Wellness Officer from the Cleveland Clinic and author of the RealAge Diet.  

Dan’s culinary experience and industry knowledge eventually connected him with Mark Sandridge, CEO of Sandridge Food Corporation. Mark offered Dan an opportunity reach a national audience of consumers by creating and designing fresh food using world-class ingredients and technology. Today, Dan leads the Sandridge culinary team working alongside some of the most talented fresh food innovators in the industry, a driven executive leadership team, and a host of dedicated essential food workers.

A Passion to Make Fresh Food

Dan leads his team on a daily mission to support the Sandridge Brand Promise to “Create unrivaled fresh food that enhances our customer’s reputation”. Dan’s talented culinary team creates, develops and commercializes a vast variety of fresh food ranging from flavorful kettle cooked soups and sauces, to garden fresh salads and slow cooked/sous vide proteins that win our customers over every time.

We are fortunate to have a strong strategic vision, philosophy, technology and great people in the Sandridge organization that empowers our team’s culinary creativity to translate food creations into reality on both the restaurant menu and the grocery store shelf. Dan is proud to be a part of an organization that “feeds the world” and emulates a philosophy of creating world-class products that enrich the lives of everyone. It all started with a love of food, family and cooking!

Outside the Kitchen

Dan enjoys traveling with his family and learning about the local food scenes at their destinations. He also enjoys spending time with his wife Alisha (who is an excellent baker, pastry chef, cook, CIA alum and, most importantly, a mom). He enjoys the live theater, arts, and culinary scene that Northeast Ohio has to offer. Lastly, Dan is an avid musician and drummer and enjoys playing at local venues with his rock/blues band. Dan believes that a balanced combination of food and music is true therapy for the soul!