Chef Biography
David Slater was born and raised in Toronto, Canada and his lifelong passion for cooking came from his grandparents, who were of Russian and Romanian heritage. After graduating from the Florida Culinary Institute in West Palm Beach in 1998, Chef Slater began working in the Windsor Court Hotel in New Orleans under Great Chef Rene Bajeux.
He joined Great Chef Emeril Lagasse’s team in 2001 at Emeril’s in Orlando, Florida. In 2005, he returned to New Orleans to work at Emeril’s as sous chef until Hurricane Katrina hit in August of that year. He evacuated for 4 months to New York City, working in a number of New York City restaurants until Emeril’s could be restored (no water, fortunately) in December of 2005. He then became the executive sous chef and assumed full command of the kitchen in January of 2008, and remains in that position today in 2016.