Daniel Yates began his culinary career in his father’s Orlando restaurant at the age of 13. After 7 years of learning at the side of his father, a classically trained French chef, he decided it was time to leave. His next stop was the Orlando World Center Marriott, where he quickly moved up to cook and then kitchen supervisor. In 1999 he found himself at the San Antonio Rivercenter/Riverwalk Hotels as the Assistant Sous Chef and just one year later, promoted to Banquet Chef of the Rivercenter Hotel.
Yates returned to Florida in 2002 and became the Senior Sous Chef at Solaris in the Orlando World Center, a restaurant with an annual revenue of over $6 million. In 2005 he transferred to the JW Orlando Grande Lakes Resort as the Senior Tournant Chef, overseeing all culinary operations. The following year he was promoted to Executive Sous Chef of Restaurant Operations where he transformed Primo Restaurant into a popular and highly respected destination for local and international travelers. Yates was the driving force behind many successful programs, including on-site beehives that produce 100 lbs. of honey annually. As a result of his forward thinking the restaurant received numerous accolades including Orlando Magazine’s 2011 “Best Restaurant in Orlando” and Edible Orlando’s 2012 “Best Hotel Restaurant.”
He is currently the Executive Chef at The Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel and Convention Center, where he and his staff were nominated for the Marriott and Renaissance brands “2014 Hotel of the Year.”
