Personal Profile
Dan has been a nature lover from the first moment he ran barefoot through the grass in his parent’s backyard in Victoria BC. At a young age he was encouraged to love nature and enjoy gardening, and camping, surfing and being in the great outdoors are second nature to him. At first, helping his parent’s tend to their vegetable and fruit trees kept him occupied and this soon turned into Dan assisting his neighbours with their yard work as well. What he didn’t know at the time was that he would actually fall in love in playing with soil, plants, rocks and trees and creating aesthetically pleasing outdoor living spaces!
After attending Oak Bay High School and a year or two travelling abroad, Dan now a semi-starving UVic student, decided that the only thing that made sense in order to earn his tuition and make more than minimum wage while attending University, was for him to combine his love of gardening with his strong back and start landscaping again.
After a few summers learning from some of Victoria’s best landscapers, gardeners and builders, he decided to start his own company and Costa Verde was born.
Dan is a proud supporter of local area businesses and firmly believes in giving back to the community that has allowed his business to thrive throughout these past years. Whether it is through volunteer work, supporting local causes, or with his continued concern and care for the environment, Dan’s passion is firmly entrenched in the land and the place he calls home.
Dan is still in love with the great outdoors and a huge nature buff, but now he’s also married to the love of his life and a proud dad of two beautiful little girls Olivia and Amaya and a handsome little baby boy Sawyer! He and his young family have set down roots (literally!) in Fernwood which is also the home of Costa Verde which you can check out here. A passionate ‘week-end’ chef, Dan loves learning new techniques and gathering recipes featuring local food and sharing them with others. A frequent visitor to local markets, and restaurants he also can often be found out foraging for local seafood, mushrooms and other wild edibles. Dan also volunteers some of his time working in professional kitchens and helping them out with cooking classes alongside of some of Victoria’s best chefs.