Meet Yuzu Head Chef & Yuzu Founder - Dan Moon

Why DIY Tasting Boxes?

During the coronavirus pandemic, I was given the wonderful opportunity to spend more time with my family which was amazing for me, particularly as i’ve missed out on a lot of time with my children growing up over the years due to my career, however as the months rolled on, I really missed cooking for people and utilising my culinary creativity. Cooking is all I have ever known for the majority of my adult life, so the idea of still being able to utilise my passion, despite the fact that people could not or are not able to visit a restaurant setting was really very exciting to me, and this is where the concept of Yuzu by Dan Moon tasting boxes was created. Ultimately, I prep everything that you require to create a restaurant standard tasting menu in your own home, it’s fun, experiential, delicious and interactive and I cannot wait for you to try one of my new DIY Tasting Menu boxes.

Meet the Chef…

Originally from London, Dan moved to Devon at a young age, this was to be where his passion for cooking would begin once he reached his teenage years.

Dan’s kitchen career started with his first weekend job as a kitchen porter at the age of fifteen, it wasn’t long before Dan realised that a professional kitchen environment was exactly where he was supposed to be. From there, he went on to train and perfect his craft by studying catering at Exeter College, alongside working in his first AA Rosetted kitchen.

Once qualified, Dan made the move to Bath to explore new opportunities, and in 2010 was awarded AA 3 Rosette’s at Homewood Park Hotel, located just on the outskirts of the city. In the same year, he was also named as ‘Chef of the Year’ by his luxury hotel group owners, battling off 30 other chefs for the coveted title. This was to be the start of a spate of recognition for Dan as following year, he went on to win a Caterer Acorn Award in 2011, an award that recognises the flair and passion of 30 rising stars under the age of 30, from across the hospitality sector.

In his next notable move in 2016, Dan undertook the role of Executive Head Chef of the luxurious Gainsborough Bath Spa, a YTL owned hotel. During his time in this role, Dan toured some of the groups top hotels in Kula Lumpar & Singapore as a guest chef, this was where he developed his deep passion for incorporating Asian flavours into his food . In 2017, after just thirteen months in this role, Dan was awarded AA 3 Rosettes for the second time in his career, it was the very same year that the hotel was also named as AA hotel of the year.

In recognition of his hard work and achievements, the hotel owners rewarded Dan with the massive honour of placing his name above the door, from here, Dan Moon at the Gainsborough Bath Spa was created, an honour and privilege that Dan will always remember and cherish.

Most recently, Dan was thrilled to be named as ‘Best Chef’ at the 2020 Food Readers Awards.