Meet Daniela Vicentini: Journalist, Chef and Triathlete

We had the good fortune of connecting with Daniela Vicentini and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Daniela, what do you think makes you most happy? Why?
There are 3 things that make me happy in this life: Food, my job and training for triathlons. Food has always been my passion and this is why I studied to be a chef, my job is marketing and consulting in the food industry so it’s the perfect combination of both of my careers and last but not least training gives me a smile every morning. Each day, I get to wake up and watch Miami’s beautiful sunrise, whether it’s swim, bike or run I feel very blessed to be able to do this every single day. It is the struggle during each training that motivates me to be better, and to get stronger.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I know there is no such thing as “luck” but I did feel like I hit the lottery when I was able to find a job that really entailed everything I wanted to do. When I graduated as a Journalist I was pretty sure all I wanted to do was write, but I hadn’t really found what I was passionate about. This was until I decided to quit my job and pursue one of the small dreams I had, which was studying in culinary school Culinary Arts for my own personal benefit. I did work in a few restaurants, but having my own was never a dream of mine. Then it was like this job fell out of this sky (not really, it was my cousin who is a Restauranteur who knows my current boss) Gluttonomy was just a start up 4 years ago but I took a chance. I believed this was exactly what I wanted to do. At Gluttonomy we do marketing and consulting for the food industry, so it was the perfect combination of both of my careers! Always, always take a chance if it’s something that you are passionate about, because no matter what you do will try your hardest to make sure you succeed.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
This is so easy being in the culinary industry I would say my favorite restaurant is NIU Kitchen (for me, consistency is key), their small restaurant is so cozy and the food is out of this world. For a more casual vibe I would definitely take my friends out to eat pizza in Stanzione 87 and drinks at Jaguar Sun (downtown) or Broken Shaker (Miami Beach). If my friends would like to go to an ethnic restaurant, but also want to see typical Miami Calle 8 vibes, then I would take them to Lung Yai Thai Tapas. If we are visiting more cultural things like the Rubell Museum, I would then take them to eat at Hometown BBQ in Allapattah. If it’s already the weekend and we would like to do brunch then definitely Bachour bakery in Coral Gables.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Well I’d like to start of by thanking my parents who have supported me in every decision I’ve made. They supported me in both of the careers and they encouraged me to always be involved in sports. I would also like to thank my boss Nidal Barake for creating Gluttonomy, an amazing company which I love to be a part of and doesn’t feel like work at all, because I enjoy it so much! And of course all my coaches and teammates from my triathlon teams who pushed me to be better, who didn’t let me give up and who believed in me when I thought I couldn’t get through the pain.

Website: www.gluttonomy.com
Instagram: @food_gazmz
Facebook: @foodgazmz

Image Credits
Photo with Massimo Bottura by: Papaya