Senior Manager of Food Access Programs
West Side Community Services

Fresh off his win as the People’s Choice Chef at West Side Chops 2024, Daniel is looking to defend his title!

Daniel Genco is a Buffalo native that began working in kitchens at the age of 15, though he has had a love for cooking since he was a kid. He vividly remembers cooking for his parents and three younger siblings as young as eight years old. His first kitchen job was as a prep cook and dishwasher at Gramma Mora’s, a Mexican restaurant on Hertel Avenue in North Buffalo, which is still open today.

Over the next 10 years, Daniel honed his fundamental skills while working throughout Buffalo. He took a position at Daniel’s in Hamburg, a fine dining restaurant that served classic French cuisine. Here, he worked as a grill cook and became more interested in creating, learning, and tasting more complex and interesting recipes. Fiamma Steakhouse was another highlight for Daniel and a place where he took away invaluable skills.

In 2014, Daniel said goodbye to Buffalo and moved to Denver, Colorado. The Denver culinary scene was vastly different from Buffalo’s but was just another challenge for Daniel to master. His goal was to eventually own his own concept, but he knew that he needed to build his repertoire before he could begin that journey. His first head chef position came at The Bent Fork in Aurora, Colorado. From serving weekly specials to participating in Denver’s Restaurant Week, the Bent Fork proved to be a wellspring of knowledge. After a few years, Daniel took on a position as head chef at a restaurant called The Wine Experience. Weekly wine-tasting dinners offered him some creative freedoms and he thrived on creating five-course menus based on wine pairings with cuisine from the featured wine’s region. Eventually, a kitchen colleague from the Bent Fork presented him with the opportunity to run a food truck in Denver, so he did. He was able to use The Wine Experience’s kitchen as his commissary kitchen.

As much as Daniel loves cooking, there’s one thing he loves more—helping others. In 2019, he made a career change to the nonprofit sector. He was able to get his start by working as the kitchen manager at the Denver Rescue Mission. The DRM is in the heart of Denver and serves the homeless community by providing a variety of services including free hot meals. Daniel managed the service of, on average, 3,000 meals a day! Working at the Denver Rescue Mission pushed him into eventually working with youth experiencing homelessness at Urban Peak, a nonprofit organization that “provides a full convergence of services solely focused on one of the most vulnerable populations.”

In 2022, Daniel made the decision to move back to Buffalo to begin a family. In July 2023, shortly after the birth of his daughter, Daniel began working at West Side Community Services as the pantry manager for Provisions 139. Since then, he has founded the Souper Cooks program, through which he teaches youth in the community fundamental culinary skills through food preparation, cooking, and tasting.

Chef Daniel will be assisted by Abdul Bouh.

Executive Sous Chef,
Delaware North

Peir Morrison, executive sous chef for Delaware North at Highmark Stadium (Buffalo Bills), is a dedicated and hardworking culinary professional originally from Jamaica.

Raised in challenging conditions, he credits those experiences with shaping the person he is today. With nearly 14 years in the culinary field, Peir has been committed to satisfying palates across Buffalo, bringing passion and precision to every plate he serves.

His love for food was inspired by his grandmother, Ionie Southerland, a no-nonsense woman who valued hard work and self-improvement. Peir has embraced that mentality, applying it to both his career and his interactions with others.

Beyond the kitchen, he has a deep passion for rebuilding vehicles—a pursuit that connects him to his roots in Jamaica and fuels his drive for a better future for himself and his family. Focused on success and personal growth, Peir approaches every endeavor with dedication and a relentless pursuit of excellence.

Chef Peir will be assisted by Zach Skinner.

Farm Chef,
Providence Farm Collective

Imagine the aroma of simmering spices and the warmth of a shared meal bringing people together. This is Sharif’s story, a journey that has taken him from the bustling kitchens of Mogadishu, to cooking in a refugee camp in Kenya, and finally to the nurturing grounds of Providence Farm Collective (PFC).

Sharif’s culinary journey is a testament to resilience and the universal language of food. Each season, with his heart poured into every dish, Sharif crafts over 10,000 meals, nourishing not just the bodies but also the spirits of more than 200 farmers, their children, and countless guests.

At PFC, Sharif found more than just a place to cook; he found a family. His farm-to-table lunches have become a vibrant tapestry of cultural exchange, celebration, and unity.

Sharif shares, “I’ve been cooking since long before I became a refugee. When I arrived in the United States, I started catering for weddings and community gatherings within the Somali Bantu community. Now, at PFC, I’m thrilled to serve a variety of communities, not just Somali Bantu. It’s heartwarming to see the farmers’ joy when they recognize the same cultural foods they grew in their fields on people’s plates—it takes them back home. And there’s no better feeling than when folks rave about the food and come back for more!”

Chef Sharif will be assisted by Hamadi Mganga.

Founder & Co-owner,
Herb’n Garden Farms

Ari Sobel is the founder and co-owner of Herb’n Garden Farms, a hydroponic, controlled-environment greenhouse vegetable farm located in Grand Island, NY. Driven by a passion for sustainable agriculture and innovative farming practices, Herb’n Garden Farms provides locally grown lettuces, tomatoes, leafy greens, and herbs year-round to the greater Buffalo metropolitan area. Through hydroponic techniques and an unwavering commitment to environmentally responsible practices, the farm ensures top-quality produce while minimizing its ecological footprint.

Ari’s educational background reflects his unique blend of business and culinary expertise. From a young age, he found joy in being enslaved in commercial kitchens for disciplinary measures working in commercial kitchens, where he could channel his energy and creativity. He refined his culinary skills by earning an AOS degree from The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY in 2003. Further expanding his management experience, Ari earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University’s renowned School of Hotel Administration in 1999.

Before founding Herb’n Garden Farms, Ari spent many years in casino food and beverage executive management in Las Vegas and Pittsburgh. In 2022, he and his wife, Christina Drum, along with partners Kevin and Liz Colosimo, founded Herb’n Garden Farms to meet the growing demand for locally sourced, sustainable produce.

With a combination of entrepreneurial spirit, hospitality expertise, and culinary knowledge, they’ve created a farm that thrives on both quality and sustainability. Herb’n Garden Farms is proud to serve some of the area’s top restaurants, farmers markets, school systems, and community organizations, including West Side Community Services’s Provisions 139 pantry. Their vision to expand the local food movement, provide fresh, premium produce to the Buffalo community, and create meaningful work opportunities is a significant point of pride for their whole team.