Chef Daniel Costa
Executive Chef, Corso 32
I am a Canadian chef in Edmonton where I own Corso 32. My style of food is inspired by my Italian roots.
I have always loved cooking and aspired to be a chef. Growing up in an Italian home means you are constantly surrounded by great food. My father, Mario, was born in a small town named San Pietro Al Tanagro in Campania, Italy. He came to Canada when he was 18 and brought his family’s cooking methods with him. I was fortunate enough to adopt the Italian ideology of food at a young age.
My first step into the industry was at the age of 15, where I worked in a deli at an Italian Market. I enrolled in culinary school when I was 19 and worked under Chef Drew Noble at Suede Lounge. Drew was the first chef I worked under and he really opened my eyes to creativity. After Drew’s departure I had an opportunity to work at Jack’s Grill where I stayed for a few years learning classic techniques under Chef Peter Jackson. The turning point of my young career was cooking in Italy in and around my father’s town where I learned the art of simplicity. I returned from Italy took the chef position at Jacks and began planning to open a cafe with a friend. The cafe’s focus was simplicity and quality. I struggled with creativity in the limited kitchen and decided to move forth, Da Capo remains open and still focuses on quality product and achieves it daily. I decided to enter the private catering business which was very successful, but I needed to return to a permanent kitchen. Red Star was my next step where we focused on innovation and quality driven food in a comfortable pub environment. I currently own a small restaurant called Corso 32 located in the heart of down town Edmonton.