Meet the Chef behind some of the Central Coast’s fave dishes

Introducing Central Coast restaurant & catering maestro, Chef Daniel

If you’ve eaten out on the Central Coast, there’s a fair chance you’ve already tasted something made by Chef Daniel. Maybe it was at a wedding or a work function, or that takeaway box you grabbed for dinner when no one could be bothered cooking.

Wherever it was, we already know one thing – it would’ve been delicious!

Food has always been part of the picture for Chef Daniel.

With a chef for a dad, he grew up in the kitchen, cooking from a young age and helping in his dad’s restaurant not long after.

In 2006, Chef Daniel founded Fork’N’Knife alongside his wife Jen – a catering business that’s been servicing the Central Coast, Sydney and Hunter event scene ever since.

Weddings, corporate gigs, birthdays, memorials – they’re pros at scaling up or down depending on what’s needed.

It’s also taken them into production catering, feeding crews on everything from major shows like Married at First Sight through to smaller independent shoots.

At Baker St Gosford: resilience + really good food

Then in 2019, they opened At Baker St in Gosford.

Timing-wise, not ideal.

Within months, COVID hit, and like a lot of venues, they had to rethink things – and fast. Instead of trying to replicate the dine-in experience, they focused on getting their food into people’s homes in a way that still felt worth it.

That’s where the Family Boxes came in. If you know, you know. The “Fully Hectic Wog Box” and Italian Feast became go-to options for those nights when cooking wasn’t happening, but you still wanted a meal worth looking forward to. Proper, generous food that didn’t feel like standard takeaway.

It put At Baker St on the radar for a lot of locals.

They got through that stretch thanks to hard work, quick thinking and a bit of stubborn determination – defying the odds faced by many small businesses during that time.

These days, Chef Daniel runs a team of around 15 across both businesses and is still in the kitchen most days.

And it doesn’t stop at catering and the restaurant.

Cooking classes and corporate catering on the Central Coast

From their commercial kitchen in Gosford, he runs private and team-based cooking classes, plus live demonstrations for corporate groups and events, teaching practical skills people can take home and use.

At Baker St has also built a following for its monthly international buffet nights, bringing fresh ideas and global flavours to the Central Coast dining scene.

Each one focuses on a different cuisine, and they’ve developed a bit of a reputation for selling out quickly – sometimes within the hour. Blink and you’ll miss it.

On the catering side, Fork’N’Knife has kept that same approach – making it easier to feed a group without lowering the standard. If you’ve got people coming over and want to avoid the usual “what are we doing for food” spiral, their themed buffets and Heat N Eat options are a top tip for locals who want restaurant-quality without spending half the day in the kitchen.

How Chef Daniel supports the local community

Outside of the kitchen, there’s a lot going back into the Central Coast community as well.

Chef Daniel is regularly involved in school visits and education programs, and runs cooking classes for kids who need a bit of extra support or just a different way to engage. At Baker St also hosts charity events throughout the year, backing local causes where it can.

In April, he will have completed an 88km walk in 24 hours, raising money for R U OK?, and he’s already locked in a half-marathon next.

He also took out first place in Stars of the Central Coast 2025, which is not your standard chef side quest!

Local chef inspiring Central Coast foodies

Between the restaurant, the catering arm, and everything else in between, Chef Daniel has a full schedule, but none of it feels disconnected.

It might be a packed event, a last-minute dinner sorted at home, or a table at At Baker St – it all comes back to the same thing: food that people come back for.

And once you know the name behind it, you start to notice it everywhere.

Learn more about Chef Daniel at chefdaniel.com.au