The Lake Nona Sports and Performance District will be adding a new addition in the first quarter of 2018. Catering to all golf lovers, the new facility will be known as Drive Shack. It’s set to be a three-story structure with a driving range that is nearly 60,000 square feet and also will include bars and lounge areas.
There also will be be a restaurant on deck that serves a maximum 250 guests with a staff of about 100 workers to deliver food that looks and tastes great. One may stop to ponder, who’s manning this kitchen? None other than Daniel Huertas, who has been in the food industry for 30 years.
Taking his first breath in 1967, Huertas was born to love food. Originally from Brooklyn, his passion for crafting eatables began in early boyhood. He picked up the habit from his mother, who was always in the kitchen cooking up a storm. After a while, he’d make his own dishes for fun, playing around with different ingredients and spices. His desire to cook didn’t stop there. During high school, Daniel went to work as a dishwasher at a local restaurant. Soon, he became a short order cook and then a prep cook. It was not long before he found himself attending culinary school.
“When I went to culinary school, that’s when I fell in love with it, the career, the food itself. Everything in general. It’s about falling in love with what you do,” says Daniel.
After culinary school, Huertas worked for River Cafe in Brooklyn. It was was not long before he found himself working overseas in Moscow. Daniel was able to open a few sandwich shops of his own along with some delis.
Building a name for himself through the years, Daniel obtained the title as an executive sous chef at both the DoubleTree by Hilton in Philadelphia, PA, and in Florida, and at Sands Casino Resort in Bethlehem, PA. Climbing higher up the ladder, he landed the executive chef position at Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts in Orlando. Afterwards, he spent a little over three years working for American Cruise Lines as an executive traveling chef, where he oversaw the food and beverage department of 40-plus ships.
Having fulfilled his time traveling all over the seas, Huertas returned to home base and began working for Drive Shack. “I mean, I wanted to be closer to home,” says Daniel. He has a 16-year-old daughter and a 25-year-old son, and being involved in their lives as a father is quite important to him.
As for Drive Shack, the restaurant will maintain a casual, family-oriented atmosphere. The menu will contain goodies such as crab cake appetizers, flatbreads, burgers, pizzas, strawberry short cake and ice cream. Huertas says the menu is flexible to meet the needs of its patrons who are gluten intolerant, lactose intolerant, vegetarians, or even have peanut allergies. Daniel claims that every dish will have his touch of exceptional presentation and service. Besides the restaurant, this seasoned cook is definitely excited for Drive Shack’s grand opening and can’t wait to see the new vibes of enthusiasm it brings to Lake Nona residents.
