The Drop’s new winter menu

Most of us can remember helping out our parents in the kitchen as children, but we weren’t working the sautee line at 11 years old.

Chef Kelli Daniels, at only 30 years old, could be one of the most experienced chefs in the city, thanks to her father Lewis Daniels.

“My dad was the first black chef to run Caesar’s Palace in Atlantic City. He taught me what I know, just as I hope I’m teaching my staff now,” says Daniels. 

Her father passed away in February and Daniels decided to use what he taught her. It’s his recipes that are the inspiration for the new winter menu at The Drop. She’s now recreating his home-made gnocchi, crab cakes and potato salad at the Martini Corner restaurant.

The kitchen at The Drop is a testament to Daniels’ ingenuity. There’s a

hot plate for reductions, two toaster ovens, a panini press, commercial

oven and a flat top grill.

“I’ve got less equipment than a frat boy,” jokes Daniels. “I wish everybody could enter through the kitchen, so they would understand.”

She has been at The Drop for a year and this is the third menu she’s put together. Previously she was at Skies atop the Hyatt Crown Regency and Erling Jensen in Memphis, Tennessee.

“I feel like we’re starting to create a bistro-style restaurant that really focuses on seasonality,” Daniels says.

After considering what’s in season and what can be acquired locally — she uses Campo Lindo chickens, Kansas grass-fed beef and organic eggs — Daniels starts by writing down her ideas.
 
“I usually put everything down on paper first to make sure the words go together and then challenge myself to make what I wrote.”