Dan Ringwood and Tony Palermo have been in the restaurant industry for over 48 years. Meeting in Detroit, Michigan in 1975 as cooks, they carefully planned their future and dreamed of opening a restaurant. Confident in their skills, they decided it was time to move on. Tony entered a thirteen state chili cook-off and took first place honors. He came to Los Angeles for the United States finals, but finished in a disappointing 4th place. However, he had the insight to tour L.A. to see if the West Coast held the answer to his and Dan’s dream. Three months later, California become home to the newly unemployed duo. With no contacts and needing $$$, both set out to establish themselves. Tony landed a job as the Executive Chef at the Hard Rock Café. After several years in that position, he was promoted to Director of Operations for the chain. Danny was hired by Trumps, a 5 star restaurant in West L.A. as the assistant Pastry Chef. After developing his skills for several months, he was appointed Executive Pastry Chef.
