Chef
Pete Dantanus
- Discipline
- Chef
- Based in
- Brighton and Hove, United Kingdom
i. Biography
Wood-fired sharing plates set the working frame for Pete Dantanus’s cooking at Burnt Orange: heat, smoke, spice, acidity, texture, and enough restraint to keep the plate legible. The menu draws on Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and North African references, built for the pace of a table that shares rather than the formality of individual courses.
Training and Lineage
Brigade work at sous-chef level requires timing, judgement, consistency, and the authority to keep service moving under pressure. Pete Dantanus held that post at The Salt Room until 2021, where the craft demands were practical rather than decorative: hold the line, read the room, support the pass, and keep standards repeatable. Head-chef authorship at Burnt Orange, held by Pete Dantanus since 2021, gives that same discipline a broader brief. The move reads less as reinvention than as a tightening of focus: wood-fired cookery, shared plates, smoke, spice, texture, and dishes that need to land quickly and clearly with regulars.
Current Practice
Vegetable-led cooking at the restaurant carries much of the kitchen’s identity. The dishes are expressive without being crowded, often using contrast as structure: sweetness against savour, richness against acidity, softness against crunch. Miso Glazed Aubergine and Apricot Tandoori Cauliflower are noted among Pete Dantanus’s creations that quickly became favorites with regulars. Their references are broad but controlled: miso for savoury depth and gloss, apricot for fruit and lift, tandoori spicing for warmth and colour. A related plate, wood-fired aubergine with miso, pomegranate, and crispy shallots, has been cited for layering flavour without overcomplicating the plate. Menu permanence has its own craft value, especially in a shared-plate restaurant where anchors matter. Skillet-baked potatoes in herb cream with hard sheep’s cheese has been described as a dish that has been on the menu since opening: generous, grounded, and built to hold the table while brighter and spicier plates move around it. Pea & Mint Falafel shows the kitchen’s interest in freshness, spice, and street-food memory without turning the reference into imitation. Dantanus described the feeling behind it plainly: "Falafel is an instant transporter for me – my mind goes to bustling vibrant markets bulging with street food, with achingly colourful spices and flavours in the air. The freshness and flavour of this dish should conjure these moments." The working mode is evocation rather than replication. Here, the dishes are built for appetite, atmosphere, and the practical choreography of a table passing plates across the flame-lit middle.
Signature
Signature dishes include Miso Glazed Aubergine, Apricot Tandoori Cauliflower, and Pea & Mint Falafel. Together, they frame Pete Dantanus’s cooking at Burnt Orange: vegetable-led without feeling austere, vivid without becoming excessive, and guided by spice, freshness, and the generous cadence of sharing.
Honors
Pete's honors include Michelin Bib Gourmand for Burnt Orange (2024).
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Pete
What does Pete Dantanus do now?
Pete Dantanus is Head Chef.
Where did Pete Dantanus work before?
Earlier in their career, Pete Dantanus worked at The Salt Room.
What recognition has Pete Dantanus received?
Michelin Bib Gourmand for Burnt Orange (2024).
