Danielle Saunders

In 1997, Danielle enrolled at the New York Restaurant School, where she studied Culinary Arts under Award Winning chef, Neil Becker. After graduating, Danielle further honed her skills by working under the tutelage of renowned chef greats, Anne Rosenzweig and Michael Lomonaco. Soon thereafter, Danielle became the Executive Chef at Lincoln Center's Panevino Ristorante at Avery Fisher Hall in New York City. As Danielle’s reputation grew she caught the eye media mogul, Sean “Diddy” Combs, and was offered an opportunity to become his personal chef. It wasn’t long before Danielle became a sought after chef to the stars, cooking for the likes of Oprah Winfrey, Jann Wenner, Tom Hanks, Gary Sheffield and countless others. Much like her celebrity clientele, Danielle is no stranger to the media. She made her first television appearance on VH1’s “I Want to Work for Diddy 2” in 2009. Then in 2011, Chef Danielle became the first African American female winner of Food Network’s hit TV show “Chopped”. In the Fall of 2011, Chef Danielle won “Chopped Champions” and made history again by becoming the first female chef to ever win Food Network’s championship chef competition. Chef Danielle Saunders “Soul Fusion” style is reinventing traditional soul food cuisine. Influenced by her wide array of international experiences and traditional southern techniques, instilled in her since childhood, Danielle is upgrading the soul food genre by using healthier & organic ingredients combined with gourmet accouterments, while keeping cook and prep time under 40 mins.