Chef David Santos “Um Segredo” Becomes “Louro” Dream!

I want to share a “Secret” with you. It’s called  Um Segredo – Portuguese for ” A Secret”. Um Segredo, is one of the new and trendy “Underground” dining supper clubs in New York City, which is hosted by Chef David Santos.

The Chef’s culinary talents have received rave reviews and been featured in many NY “Foodie” sites such as grubstreet.com, ny.eater.com, bloggery.undergroundeats.com  newyork.grubstreet.com and donuts4dinner.com

Countless blogs from the diners who frequent the NY dining scene have featured the spectacular meals with stunning images which the Chef creates once a month that revolve around an inspirational theme. You may sign up to be invited to the secret dining club which runs weekly at: umsegredony.com

Chef Santos has worked at Per Se, Bouley and other restaurants in New York City where he developed a notoriety for his creativity with fresh and diverse ingredients.

He’s the the son of Portuguese immigrants and like most Chefs of Portuguese decent, he acquired his passion for cooking while growing up with the Portuguese traditions in his family’s farm in New Jersey.

“Growing up, food was always a huge part of my life. As a young child, I remember visiting Portugal and waking up early to bake bread with my aunt and help my parents make sausage and wine in the backyard. My siblings and I often joke that our childhood was not what one would call typically American, but I would not traded it for anything. My cultural upbringing has brought me closer to food and has caused me to develop a respect for each ingredient that I use. I carry this admiration into every menu I have crafted over the years and even up to this very day. When you blend that sense of esteem with the teachings of mentors like Thomas Keller and David Bouley, you end up with a thriving combination.” Chef David Santos

This past summer the chef ventured into a new trend in dining called;  a “Pop – up -Restaurant” where a chef opens a restaurant for short time in a trendy location. He opened a seafood shack at the PIER NY and called it; “Santos Seafood Shack” The spot also received great reviews at  bloggery.undergroundeats.com and undergroundeats.com/events when he held the last dining event; a Spectacular Shrimp Boil!

His next appearance will be at Douro Restaurant in Greenwich Ct. on Wednesday November 14th – Wine-Dinner-Series where the Chef will join Douro’s Executive Chef Rui Correia in preparing an outstanding tasting menu to accompany the wines of Girard Vineyards from California!

But the chef has a new venture, a dream of opening his own restaurant in New York City. His “dream” will be called “Louro” –  meaning “Bay Leaf” in Portuguese! The name is inspired by a treasured Bay Leaf tree once owned by his beloved uncle in France. The clippings from the tree have been transplanted by the chef’s mother on the family farm in New Jersey where to this day, they are still being used for seasoning the Portuguese family meals.

“In the end, my goal is to give people an experience to remember. I always say that truly good food evokes memories. A successful meal should bring a smile to your face, as each bite triggers a delightful memory of the first time you enjoyed the dish.” Chef David Santos

If you’d like to help Chef Santos fulfill his dream, visit Kickstarter-Louro Project. This project will only be funded if at least $10,000 is pledged by Wednesday Oct 31, 11:59pm EDT.

I’ll keep you updated on the developments of the new restaurant. Visit him on FaceBook!

Good luck and congratulations to the chef in his career!