LOCATION: MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA

Born and raised in Argentina, Dan Szwarc’s driving passion is food and, most of all, honesty when it comes to food. His food style is multi-faceted, combining influences from his French training, Australian lifestyle and South American heritage.

The talented Chef began his career as a student at the prestigious cookery school The Bue Trainers in Buenos Aires. He graduated with distinction at the top of his class before gaining experience at the Hyatt, Claridges and Gate Gourmet.

Dan moved to London to work under Peter Kromberg at the Intercontinental Hotel. A stint in cruise ships followed before he finally landed in Melbourne at Sofitel Hotel’s Le Restaurant with Marcus Moore.

Dan’s career took off in Australia at Crown casino, helming the kitchen of Number 8, before opening Les Boucheries Parisiennes with Phillipe Aubron.

Next up was running Joseph Vargetto’s Oyster Little Bourke, Albert Park Hotel and Livebait, before becoming Head Chef at Gary Mehigan’s Fenix restaurant and Made establishment’s Hellenic Republic in Brunswick and Hellenic Hotel in Williamstown.

Dan recently focused on brining the flavours of his homeland to Australia as Executive Chef of Hotel Argentina in Williamstown, before launching his own fun and relaxed concept, Dan’s Empanada Bar. 

Dan now works full time looking after his baby, Dan’s Empanada Bar in North Melbourne and his mission is to bring the authentic flavours of Argentina to Australia and showcases his passion for combining traditional and contemporary ingredients with authentic homemade recipes to showcase the flavours he grew up with.

Dan has represented Australia at the finals of LCDR in Singapore and in 2020 judged the renowned Chef of the Year Competition, which sees professional chefs compete against other chefs and the clock in a test of creativity, kitchen skills and ingenuity.