Meet Danielle Davila of Buckeye

Today we’d like to introduce you to Danielle Davila.

Hi Danielle, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I feel like I’ve always had a natural curiosity about the world. I remember when I was young, one of the first toys I got was a microscope. I spent my entire life thinking I was going to be an epic scientist or a surgeon. I finished high school with Welding and Medical Assisting certifications as well as a full ride to Northern Arizona University for Pre-Med.

When I got to university, I couldn’t find a part-time job in the new trades I acquired (sad) and ended up turning to the ice cream counter in my dining hall for comfort. Since I was a regular, I made friends with one of the employees of the dining hall who encouraged me to apply. I never thought anything of it but a few weeks later I got a call back for an interview for my first job ever: Baking. I knew nothing about baking, didn’t have interest in it, and definitely did not have a sweet tooth!

My first job was rough. My head chef was the textbook pastry chef: Angry, Old, and French. My first day at work he threw a pan at me. The guy was intense, but he taught me my work ethic. For some reason, my passion for pastry really blossomed there. I kept pushing myself to learn as much as I could outside of work in order to impress my boss. I ended up getting laid off because of a *little* global pandemic that happened.

When I moved back to Flagstaff, I changed my major to Criminal Justice, and minors to Forensic Anthropology and Mandarin. I was on the fence about Medicine and have always had interest in forensic pathology and homicide. Outside of classes, I ended up landing a sweet job at a Chinese restaurant that was combined with a boba shop and an Asian market that I absolutely adored. I was a Cashier, Server, Delivery driver, Bobarista, and Grocery store clerk there. It was tough work, but it felt so rewarding.

While I was in school and still at the restaurant I ended up landing a second job as a cake decorator at a very questionable local bakery. I felt a lot of personal development there and made some really cool cakes. After that I got hired to a breakfast café as a lead pastry chef. I wasn’t there for too long, but it was my first job in a kitchen, and solidified my love for the restaurant industry. At this point in time, I started skipping class just to be able to make enough money to survive, so I decided to leave university, and move back to Phoenix to live with family.

Eventually after moving back I got hired for the Sheraton as a Pastry Cook. I thought it was going to be awesome. It was the most money I’ve ever made at a job, and I thought it was going to be similar to my first job, which made me fall in love with pastry. It wasn’t. It actually made me feel like leaving university and pursuing pastry was a mistake. That wasn’t. I met an insanely talented and overqualified pastry chef named Lisa there who just recently moved back to the area, and my life changed for the better. We both started at the same time, and we bonded over that and by the way some of the management treated us. We helped each other realize that our “dream job” wasn’t right for us and it sucked. We both quit on the same day and she made me breakfast.

Out of the kindness of her heart, Lisa reached out to chefs she knew and ended up helping me land a stage at Roka Akor in Scottsdale, which is where I am currently the Head Pastry Chef. It still amazes me how Lisa and I only knew each other for two weeks, and she went out of her way to find me a job. I didn’t even ask her! I thank her everyday for giving me a second start. I am now coming up on my two years here, and I am so excited for what’s to come!

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I have never really felt a sense of belonging. Growing up as a 2nd gen, I was really detached from my Mexican culture. Both of my parents are completely fluent in Spanish, but didn’t teach me of my sisters when we were younger. I grew up in Buckeye, and I was rejected by my peers for being “too white” for the Mexican kids, and “too Mexican” for the White kids. Since I didn’t know Spanish, I felt like I couldn’t even connect with my family, and didn’t have much friends growing up.

My first semester at NAU I met an exchange student named Xinzhu from Anshun, China who changed my life forever. She was not only a genius, but she was so very welcoming and shared every ounce of herself with me. She introduced me to her roommates and friends, and for the first time in my life I felt like I had a sense of belonging. They shared their experiences in China, as well as more aspects in their culture, and it made me realize that even though I spent my whole life feeling like I wasn’t Mexican, I had some culture to share with them. Me and my new friends ended up exchanging customs and traditions, stories, candy, and even food.

I ended up getting a job at the Chinese restaurant with her roommate, and at that point, I was a sponge. The chef’s at the restaurant treated me as their own, and taught me how to cook. A whole new world of culture and flavor had been unlocked because of everyone in my life at the time. I ended up adopting a very Chinese palate, and I genuinely thank Xinzhu and everyone else for it.

Sometimes it’s still hard for me to watch my some of my peers have such strong cultural roots, but I really feel like my experiences are the biggest inspiration to me. It may be out of the norm, especially for other chefs with Southwest influence in Arizona, but I am so excited to see where my love for Chinese culture is going to take me. Pretty soon there is an awesome Chinese Fine Dining restaurant coming to Scottsdale named Mott 32, and I would absolutely love to be a part of that team.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a Pastry Chef and a scientist through and through. My curiosity has flourished, and I love using what I know to experiment in the kitchen. I am obsessed with molecular gastronomy and absolutely love to incorporate science into my desserts. I am addicted to knowing why things work or don’t work, and I love using that to understand how to change a recipe, or create a new one from scratch. It’s odd, I don’t think I’ve met another pastry chef who’s recipes are so formulaic.

I am super honored to be a part of the team at Roka Akor, for some reason they put all of their trust in me and I have an awesome support system here. My team helps push me to create, and for that I am eternally grateful. In terms of my process of creating something new, I spend a lot of time teaching myself new techniques and skill. I didn’t go to pastry school, but I see that as an advantage, and I am very proud of myself and how far I’ve come on my own.

Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
I really don’t think I would be here without my friends from China. They helped me see the beauty within myself, and welcomed me with open arms. I wouldn’t have a passion for food without them, which is very important when you’re a chef. I also eternally give my thanks to my good friend and mentor Lisa, who so selflessly gave me an opportunity to continue down my pastry path, which I was able to turn into a career. I hope I make her proud.

I thank my team at Roka, new and old colleagues, for empowering me, for trying all of my good, and not-so-good creations, and for giving me feedback, even if it’s uncomfortable. I am so glad I finally feel like I belong somewhere and have a great team that has my back.

I also thank my dad and my sister for being some of my biggest fans, and for all of their support and encouragement. I remember coming home from uni, so excited, to teach them how to frost cupcakes. I remember my dad making me his famous airfryer, lemon pepper, chicken sandwiches every time I felt defeated and had a mental breakdown because I was rethinking my career. I am also so proud of my sister Grace for finding a love of pastry through me, and I am so glad we have each other.

I’d like to thank all of my friends that have stuck by my side who want me to make their wedding cakes one day. And finally, I’d like to thank my wonderful partner Nick, and his family for welcoming me with open arms and empty bellies. Nick is my biggest inspiration and biggest supporter. I don’t think he knows this, but I seriously look up to him. He is so naturally creative, and is so talented at everything he tries. He can really accomplish anything he sets his mind to, and can do it so easily. He has taught me so much, and has helped me find confidence in myself and my work, and for that I am grateful.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Dannie.pastry36