About Culinary Guide Shop
Culinary Guide Shop is founded by Dan Latham.
About
Culinary Guide Shop is founded by Dan Latham.
Dan Latham named our firm combining his two great passions: Food and Fly Fishing.
We are restaurant people. A Chef and a Director of Operations. We’ve cooked at the James Beard Foundation and have grown restaurant groups from one to many. We specialize in providing expert guidance on various aspects in our industry, and run a practice that aims to deliver value and reliability to restaurant ownership and operators. We are educators. We counsel, teach, and heal.
We forensically dive into the operations to understand the scope of need and present solutions to resolve both Culinary and Operational challenges.
We find extreme value in supporting better food systems, connecting kitchens with local produce sourcing and clean animal husbandry. A larger scale of intention reaching beyond the balance sheet. A focus on the pasture to the pantry.
Our teaching programs are referred to as The Academy. Curriculums are designed and delivered in classroom like settings to enhance the professional growth of your leaders. Every decision impacts the P&L and our Academy sessions teach business principle, affording the opportunity to make the most sound decisions through an informed lens of discipline. COGS / Labor / P&L analysis drive the foundation of our teaching.
And finally, we believe there is good work in lasting relationships. Fractional Leadership is our ongoing partnership program. Contoured to enable continued maintenance to support and protect the health of your kitchen. End of Period financial reviews, seasonal menu design, quarterly database audits, inventory scrubs and beyond. It’s a source of leadership created to provide next level support.
Culinary Guide Shop, inspired by Dan’s love for food and fly fishing.
Our Story
Dan's culinary journey ignited in the rustic back shed of his Grandparents' home, where an array of canned and cured delights was stored. Post his graduation from Ole Miss, Dan embarked on a career in the metals industry in New Orleans, deepening his passion for all things epicurean.
In 1998, a pivotal move to New York brought Dan into the orbit of his first mentor, the renowned Mario Batali. Bonding over discussions about airplanes and salami, their friendship blossomed, leading to Dan's inaugural culinary role as a prep chef at Batali's Po in the West Village.
The collaboration extended to the launch of a Salumeria in Studio del Gusto at Italian Wine Merchants, where Dan not only managed day-to-day operations but also conducted cooking classes and oversaw the charcuterie program. Concurrently, he lent his skills to The Food Network, contributing to some of the network's most prominent programs.
In 2003, Dan, alongside his wife Meredith, departed Manhattan to establish their culinary footprint in Oxford, MS. The result was L&M’s Kitchen and Salumeria, a cherished establishment blending Southern American and Italian cuisines. Gourmet Magazine recognized L&M Kitchen as one of the "best farm-to-table restaurants in the South" within two years, while Dan earned a James Beard Foundation nomination for Best Chef South.
After five year running L&M’s, Dan and Meredith sought new horizons in Atlanta, GA, where Dan conceptualized and brought to life what is now Culinary Guide Shop.
PAST & PRESENT CLIENTS
