Daniela Moreira – A Freshman at George Washington University

Daniela Moreira takes great pleasure in creating delicious pizza and breakfast empanadas at Timber Pizza Co. in Washington, DC’s Petworth neighborhood. Their wood-fired oven sits at the front of this inviting, picnic table-filled space.

Andrew Dana and Chris Brady left jobs in education technology to start this business, which now operates with a permanent restaurant and three mobile food trucks. Moreira serves as executive chef; she was recently nominated as a James Beard Rising Star semifinalist.

Early Life and Education

Daniela Moreira is an extraordinary musician. In October 2020, she released her debut single titled “No Lookin Away”, followed by weekly episodes of a docu series documenting her journey and recording process in Rosarito, Mexico with her father as they prepared to release another single come Summer 2021.

Moreira was raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina where she learned cooking alongside her mother at their family camp where they provided meals to the camp’s young attendees. At age 20, she relocated to the US to take English lessons and won a scholarship for Culinary Institute of America; eventually landing herself an interview at Eleven Madison Park! Upon graduation she moved back home where she met Andrew Dana and Chris Brady from Timber Pizza Company at local farmers markets where their blue 1967 Chevy truck was parked!

Professional Career

Moreira is currently studying health sciences honors at George Washington University while also conducting a mentored research project in Dr. Amber Angell’s laboratory to address gender and racial disparities in autism diagnosis among Latina girls. To complete her work, Moreira plans on using her Spanish proficiency to interview families and gather data during interviews as part of this endeavor.

Moreira first learned to cook alongside her mother at their family’s summer campground in Argentina. At age 20, she immigrated to the US in order to pursue her passion, earning a scholarship at Culinary Institute of America and making friends with fellow Top Chef competitor Kwame Onwuachi.

Timber Pizza Company and Call Your Mother, a Jewish-“ish” deli featuring bagels (complete with an old playground slide used as a bagel-slide) became two highly successful businesses, drawing customers in from Park View for large wood-fired bagels dusted with Za’atar and filled with candied salmon cream cheese or chocolate marbled babka.

Achievement and Honors

Moreira initially intended to become a veterinarian; she credits her family’s restaurant experience for inspiring her interest in food and cooking. Moreira now operates two restaurants that honor her Argentinian roots by featuring dishes such as empanadas and alfajores on their menus: Timber Pizza and Call Your Mother.

Bon Appetit Magazine recognized Petworth Eatery as one of its Top New Restaurants of 2017 after it moved from truck to brick and mortar location in 2016. She also co-owns Call Your Mother with Andrew Dana.

Moreira earned recognition on Eater’s Young Guns list this year alongside fellow D.C. chefs like Himitsu’s Carlie Steiner and Kevin Tien from Himitsu. With this award she embarked on a mentored research project under Dr. Amber Angell at the Department of Occupational Therapy; conducting interviews with Latina families who had girls diagnosed with autism to assess gender, racial and ethnic disparities in diagnosis and treatment.

Personal Life

Daniela Moreira began her culinary education at an early age alongside her mother and grandmother at their family summer campsite in Argentina. Later moving to the US to learn English, Daniela attended Carlos Rosario International Public Charter School before earning a scholarship at Culinary Institute of America New York City.

Moreira initially planned on pursuing a career in fine dining; however, by 2015 she found herself working on a food truck alongside Andrew Dana and Chris Brady–the Co-Owners of Timber Pizza Co.–a wood-fired pizzeria which parked at local farmers markets using their bright blue 1967 Chevy truck. Now Moreira serves as Executive Chef for both Timber (recently honored with a Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand and named one of Eater’s 2017 Young Guns) as well as its sister restaurant Call Your Mother–an experimental Jewish deli that offers bagels as its signature dishes.

Net Worth

Daniela is an accomplished entrepreneur with an expansive following on Instagram. Additionally, she’s a doting mother who always ensures she spends quality time with her son.

She is known to possess an enduring sense of humor, being very optimistic in nature. Ter Stegen is one of the top players on Barcelona, and she shows him her full support throughout his career.

She enrolled in a D.C. charter school that provides immigrant culinary skills training, earning her a scholarship to the Culinary Institute of America and five months working at Eleven Madison Park in New York City. When she returned home in 2015, she met Timber Pizza Co. partner Andrew Dana while they fought over one carton of eggs at farmers markets across D.C.