2023: In 2000, Argentinean Daniel Del Prado quit a job in Buenos Aires to attend a wedding in Miami and decided to stay. In 2013 he was making $12 an hour as a line cook in Portland, Oregon; in 2023 he will be the most prolific restaurateur in the Twin Cities, with 14 concepts in 16 locations under his umbrella. Del Prado’s success is due to an affinity for the kind of food and ambiance people want. He’s savvy about clientele and location, and he is one of the rare chef-restaurateurs who is intent on mastering the business side, including real estate. Still, Del Prado’s motto is “food and service over systems,” seeking to avoid a corporate vibe. In 2023 he’ll open Layline with partner Aaron Switz in Excelsior and Porzana in the old Bachelor Farmer space in the North Loop.
2022: No other culinary force in town has pushed forward harder since the pandemic than Daniel del Prado. His Martina and Colita in South Minneapolis weathered the storm doing takeout and limited dining, but he wasn’t gonna just sit and wait for better days. Del Prado opened the Linden Hills pizza shop Rosalia, feeding a need for casual and quick food. He followed with Josefina in Wayzata, bringing his pizzas to the lake set. One of del Prado’s strengths is that it doesn’t have to be all about him; his collaborations with other chefs have given us Japanese-Italian fusion at Sanjusan (North Loop), a bakery with Mediterranean overtones at Café Ceres (Linden Hills), and a veggie-forward museum eatery with Cardamom at the Walker Art Center. Stay tuned, more are coming.