What led Daniel Pineda towards his culinary career as well as what brought him to DineAmic Hospitality’s restaurant, Bandit, had the same driving force and motivation; family. Appointed as Bandit’s Executive Chef, Pineda not only brings years of culinary experience to Bandit, but he was first drawn to the West Loop restaurant because he appreciated how much of a family the company seemed to be. 

Chef Pineda’s original culinary inspiration came from his roots in the Dominican Republic where he watched his mother and grandmother cook when he was a child. He used to love watching them in the kitchen and witnessing the passion that went into each meal and every dish they made. He now takes that same passion and adds it to every item on Bandit’s menu, knowing that he is able to transform his dedication and love for cooking into guests’ happiness with each plate served. After studying at the Art Institute of Washington D.C., Pineda was able to transfer his artistic abilities to his culinary expertise in that he sees each dish he creates as a work of art. Because Chef Pineda also loves cooking to bring people together, family-style, he loves that the Bandit menu incorporates so many shareable options such as the famous Diplomat, the four-piece, pull-apart burger.