FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — From finance to food, this week’s Fresh Face is proof that the most important ingredient to success is taking a leap of faith.
Kassidy Angelo went into business with her father to open up Daniel’s, a Florida Steakhouse in Miami and Fort Lauderdale.
As the managing director, she says it’s her mission to put women in leadership roles, from managers to sommeliers.
At 24 years old, Angelo was working at JP Morgan in private banking.
She made a bold decision to walk away after her father offered her the chance to help build something in her own backyard.
“I decided to leave JP Morgan in August of 2024, and the next day I was on the floor in the restaurant and we opened here in October of 2024,” Angelo, who is the managing director of Gioia Hospitality Group, said. “I weighed a lot of my options and I thought that working in hospitality with my dad was a once-in-a- lifetime opportunity, as well as opening a restaurant in my hometown. I grew up in Fort Lauderdale, born and raised. My mom grew up here. My grandfather went to high school here. So a lot of roots down here.”
Angelo partnered with her father and helped build Daniel’s from the ground up from the logo, to branding, to the menu, and even to the earth-toned greens that fill the space.
But what sets it apart?
“We wanted to create a concept that didn’t exist here yet and what we decided to do was make Daniel’s a Florida steakhouse,” Angelo said. “The Florida theme really came from us wanting to capture the local market and create a dining experience for locals to enjoy and continue to want to come back to.”
Sixty to 70% of their ingredients are sourced right here in Florida.
And on every table, there’s a card explaining exactly where your steak came from.
“We really want our guests to understand what they’re eating and what’s on their plate,” Angelo said.
The result from Angelo and her father’s hard work was fast, getting Michelin recognition in Broward just six months after opening.
And their Miami location was ranked the No. 9 best steakhouse in North America by the world’s best.
But Angelo says success isn’t just about the steak. It’s about who’s at the table and who’s running it.
“The restaurant industry in general is a very male-dominated field. Coming from finance, which is also a male-dominated field, it’s been interesting, coming into this in a very different position,” she said. “We do believe that women really do have an impactful place in hospitality and give a fresh perspective that sometimes I think is missing in this industry.”
The father-daughter duo plan on opening up another restaurant in the summer.
For more information on Angelo and Daniel’s, click here.
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