Chef Dana Straub came to Le Cake Chateau in January, 2008, when the restaurant decided to open for dinner on Friday and Saturday nights. Owner Maggie Rosas still serves as head chef during breakfast and lunch, but Dana contributes his European flair to the dinner menu and also to the cake-making operation during the day.
An organic chemist of German and Swiss heritage, Dana spent 22 years in Holland and Belgium in mycology (mushroom) research before turning his love for food into a full-blown career.
He is a self taught chef who first caught the passion for cooking while working in the university food service as a student at University of Alaska in Fairbanks. His culinary credits include stints at several restaurants in New York, an apprenticeship with a White House Chef to President Reagan, and a job as a chef in the mid-1990’s at The Crow’s Nest, an award-winning fine dining restaurant at The Hotel Captain Cook in Anchorage, Alaska.
Dana describes his culinary style as eclectic and diverse. He loves the idea of fusion and nouveau cuisine and thinks of himself as a trend setter, rather than a follower. He follows the seasons, shops the farmer’s market to buy fresh local ingredients, and intends to rotate dinner menu items at Le Cake Chateau accordingly. To him, it’s all about going for the best quality ingredients. He uses lamb imported from New Zealand and beef that is 100% certified Black Angus Prime.
How does Straub think of Le Cake Chateau? “A little slice of heaven.”