About

Danilo “DJ” Tangalin, Jr.’s humble beginnings started back in his home country of the Philippines—where he was born and raised—until his family migrated to Hawaii at age 16. Cooking and running a business was a part of his DNA, with both parents being great cooks in their own right, as well as growing up working in his mother’s family-owned and on his family’s fish farm. After 3 years of living in Hawaii, DJ and his Family moved and settled in Cape May, New Jersey where he attended the Academy of Culinary Arts.

In 2012, DJ landed in San Diego as Sous Chef of WhisknLadle, getting promoted quickly to Chef de Cuisine for their concept restaurant, PrepKitchen, in Little Italy. In 2016, DJ joined Tidal Restaurant as Executive Chef. With the restaurant’s waterfront view and tropical aesthetic, DJ was reminded of the Philippines, and drawing from heritage and years of culinary training, he created a menu presenting a contemporary take on Filipino food. In 2018, DJ helped open Bivouac Ciderworks’ taproom, making Filipino cuisine a focal point of the menu. Under DJ’s culinary direction, the restaurant garnered awards such as Eater’s Readers’ Choice, Eaters’ 2018 Restaurant of the Year, Eaters’ 2018 Chef of the year, Eater’s 2018 Best Bar and Food Menu Program, and his food event won Pop Up of the Year during that year he also competed and won Grand Champion of I Love Poke 2018.

In 2019, DJ opened his first solo debut restaurant, Gaya Gaya (“copycat” in English) in Miramar, where he will continue to be an ambassador of Filipino food by showcasing the cuisine’s versatility and uniqueness. This year, DJ aspired to open additional restaurant concepts that will continue pushing the Filipino food movement here in San Diego.

See me at:

Grand Tasting