FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. \u2014 From finance to food, this week\u2019s Fresh Face is proof that the most important ingredient to success is taking a leap of faith.<\/p>\n
Kassidy Angelo went into business with her father to open up Daniel\u2019s, a Florida Steakhouse in Miami and Fort Lauderdale. <\/p>\n
As the managing director, she says it\u2019s her mission to put women in leadership roles, from managers to sommeliers.<\/p>\n
At 24 years old, Angelo was working at JP Morgan in private banking.<\/p>\n
She made a bold decision to walk away after her father offered her the chance to help build something in her own backyard.<\/p>\n
\u201cI 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,\u201d Angelo, who is the managing director of Gioia Hospitality Group, said. \u201cI 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angelo partnered with her father and helped build Daniel\u2019s from the ground up from the logo, to branding, to the menu, and even to the earth-toned greens that fill the space.<\/p>\n
But what sets it apart?<\/p>\n
\u201cWe wanted to create a concept that didn\u2019t exist here yet and what we decided to do was make Daniel\u2019s a Florida steakhouse,\u201d Angelo said. \u201cThe 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.\u201d <\/p>\n
Sixty to 70% of their ingredients are sourced right here in Florida.<\/p>\n
And on every table, there\u2019s a card explaining exactly where your steak came from.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe really want our guests to understand what they\u2019re eating and what\u2019s on their plate,\u201d Angelo said. <\/p>\n
The result from Angelo and her father\u2019s hard work was fast, getting Michelin recognition in Broward just six months after opening.<\/p>\n
And their Miami location was ranked the No. 9 best steakhouse in North America by the world\u2019s best.<\/p>\n
But Angelo says success isn\u2019t just about the steak. It\u2019s about who\u2019s at the table and who\u2019s running it.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe restaurant industry in general is a very male-dominated field. Coming from finance, which is also a male-dominated field, it\u2019s been interesting, coming into this in a very different position,\u201d she said. \u201cWe 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.\u201d <\/p>\n
The father-daughter duo plan on opening up another restaurant in the summer.<\/p>\n