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Daniel Putz’ 23-year-long career began in 2001, when the budding young chef spent two weeks on a work experience placement at the Park Lane Hotel in Mayfair. He was only 15, but he instantly fell in love with life in the kitchen, working weekends and school holidays throughout his teens to gain as much experience as he could. When Putz finished school he was offered a full-time role at Park Lane Hotel, and ended up staying there for the next seven years. Under the expert tutelage of chef Andrew Bennett, whom Daniel came to consider as both a close friend and mentor, he worked his way up the ranks, all while completing an apprenticeship in Culinary Arts at Westminster Kingsway College alongside.
Food and cooking have always been in Daniel’s blood. While Bennett was a source of huge inspiration for the chef later on, it was Daniel’s mother who ignited his interest in cooking. She was also a trained chef and food was an important part of life at home growing up.
In 2008, Daniel moved into a role at The Ritz, working under executive chef John Williams MBE. He worked there for nearly three years, a period he describes as being the most intense learning curve in his career to date!
Putz left The Ritz in 2011 to travel the world. What was supposed to be a three-month trip to Asia and Australia with his partner Jen turned into a 20-month adventure. It wasn’t a total break for Daniel though - he worked in a few kitchens while travelling and developed a new passion for Asian flavours and ingredients.
Nearly two years later, Daniel landed back in the UK. Following a short stint back at Park Lane Hotel, he ended up moving to Aberdeen where he took on a head chef role at fine dining restaurant Granite Park. Daniel and Jen returned to London in 2015, and the chef spent the next four years at The George pub on The Strand. In 2019, Daniel joined The Milestone Hotel as executive chef, where he leads the kitchen team at fine dining British restaurant Cheneston’s.