Danielle Centeno

Born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela, Danielle Centeno brings color, flavor, and culture to her chocolate-making practice, Escazū Chocolates. Her passion for food was ignited at a young age by the homemade dishes that were prepared and enjoyed by and with her family and a little Discovery Channel show called: Great Chefs, Great Cities.

Life opportunities brought her to Durham after high school, where she sought to deepen her childhood passion in the Culinary Arts program at Wake Tech Community College, and later at The Culinary Institute of America.

After 11 years working the hotline and leading savory kitchens around the US and in her home country, she sought a calmer workspace and found herself wondering about the sweet side of things.

Curiosity and a trip to a cacao farm in Costa Rica led to conversation, which led to an idea; a bean-to-bar chocolate shop. When the idea was born, it was novel; 16 years later, Danielle is a stronghold of the now-flourishing bean-to-bar chocolate-making industry.

While for a long time she was the main chocolatier, ice cream maker, culinary acumen, and customer service representative, she now leads a wonderful team that brings it all to life while she focuses on the business side of things. Sourcing, overall production operations, and creative direction are her daily grind…though you can still sometimes find her behind the counter serving chocolates or making drinks.

She runs Escazū along with her friend and business partner, Tiana Young, and the support of her main hype man, her husband Sam.

Find Escazū on Instagram and Facebook.