Chef Dan Butler

My career began as a high school junior in the dish room at the Hotel DuPont in Wilmington, Delaware. I knew at a young age-- in retrospect, an alarmingly young age-- that I wanted to make my career in the kitchen. I have been the "token American" in kitchens in DC, Miami, Atlanta and Tampa which has helped me become fluent in several languages. After extensive travelling and working in top restaurants, I returned to my hometown to open a restaurant based on all my culinary experiences in the big cities. It's not an exaggeration to say that Toscana changed the restaurant culture of Wilmington.

Today, I have chefs who run my kitchens but I'm still involved every day with menus, training and motivation (and still throw down on the saute station or expediter on a busy night). In addition to cheffing, I'm a published author, former category V bike racer, fantasy football juggernaut and lover of high school lacrosse and basketball (and my two sons' biggest fan!)