Growing up in Brescia, near Milan, Dan Pasquali was raised with the best of Italy’s rich cultural food traditions. Moving later to Grottamare on the Adriatic coast, Dan’s family had a farm abundant with home-grown produce, making their own wine and olive oil. Dan’s mother, father and both nonnas are still in Italy, and he returns to visit whenever he is able.  

As a boy, Dan was privileged to be taught the traditional ways of making delicious dolci Italiani (Italian sweets) by his mamma and nonnas, by hand and full of love.  

Food remained front of mind as Dan studied a Bachelor in Biology and Nutrition, followed by his Masters in Molecular and Bio Functional Sciences. He worked in the medical research field for seven years, including cancer research.  

After living and working in London for five years, Dan made the move to Australia in 2014 having met his now husband Jeremy, an Australian. While Dan continued working in science, he regularly indulged his baking hobby in his spare time, and as a lover of health and fitness, perfected many delicious raw and vegan treats.  

After entering the 2019 season of The Great Australian Bake Off, Dan threw himself into practice to build his repertoire, and all manner of buttery, sugary treats joined the fold. His hard work paid off when he claimed second place, winning legions of fans with his exuberant personality and cooking style, and his extravagant, colourful and glittery bakes.  

Having since turned his passion into his full-time pursuit, Dan has been a guest on 10’s Everyday Gourmet and appears regularly at cake and sweets shows Australia-wide, and internationally. He also balances content creation and brand collaborations with his own creativity in the kitchen.  

Thriving on competition, Dan plans to blend old techniques with new tricks in the Dessert Masters kitchen to dream up some true showstoppers, always connecting with themes in fun and quirky ways. 

His signature flair for the bold, the flashy and above all, the delicious, will be front and centre as Dan looks to make his mark on Dessert Masters 2024.