Daniele Puleo shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Daniele, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: When was the last time you felt true joy?
On June 26th, 2025, my son Giuseppe got married in Palermo, Sicily. It was one of the proudest moments of my life, not only because he decided to do it in the place I was born but also because I saw the man in him instead of the child he was. He really grew up to be a successful, well spoken, and dignified at 28 year old. All my efforts and hard work in the hospitality industry paid off, I was able to send him to University, and he was able to find the perfect job —Any father’s dream come true.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I was born in Palermo, Sicily, moved to the US at the age of 22 all by myself to find the American dream. When you move from another country you have to learn how deal with your new life, new people, new traditions. You have to learn another language and most of all you will have to deal with being alone during the holidays. Christmas, New Year, Easter, ect. All celebrations that were part of your family life are now to be spent alone. Finding that smile during special holidays can be difficult, but it certainly makes you grow as a man.
I devoted my life to the restaurant business, I love food, I love wine, I love being with people. After my Los Angeles experiences where I worked with some of the best in the industry, I moved to Dallas in the year 2000 and started my Texas restaurant experience here. I did some work for local restaurateurs until I decided to go on my own with Daniele Osteria. It was an interesting place serving Sicilian cuisine but mostly unknown at that time. Two more places came after that, Brix Pizza & Wine Bar in Fort Worth and one location in Roanoke, Texas. With my wife Christina, we explored a new world of food establishments when we thought of CiboDivino Marketplace, which we have now owned for over 10 years. A clean, non-restaurant setting and comfortable place where a lot of locals meet to enjoy the space, the food, and also the many wines we have available at retail cost.
Okay, so here’s a deep one: Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
Definitely my wife, Christina. We met right before opening Daniele Osteria and she saw something in me I never paid attention to. She saw a real, capable and hard working person who could some day build something for himself. She taught me how to pace myself, how to divide my energy but most of all she coached me on how to deal with problems. On this last one, after many years, she still has to refresh my memory sometimes. I guess you can’t take the Italian away from me.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
It would probably be to stop chasing money for a better living, living well is more of a mental stage instead of a monetary one. When you are young your dream is always to become rich, it’s a known fact. Thinking equality! We are all here part of the same planet, part of the same life and we all benefit from it. Money can’t move emotions and certainly doesn’t buy you more time in this world, but your heart and mind are capable to restore your spirit and move you toward a better life. We own nothing, we are borrowing from the ones who came before us and we will give back to the ones who will come after us.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What’s a cultural value you protect at all costs?
Family, definitely family. I think that everything you need is there. Even if they are far away, it’s important to know you have them, and then when you build your own it’s important to put your past and present family together. The more the merrier. Nobody knows you better, treats you better or understand your needs better than your family. Turning your back to your family signified turning your back to your precious past, protect it as much as possible, you will need it some day.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
I am doing excactly what I was born to do, and I feel lucky just for that. I didn’t have the chance to experince any other job, never looked for any other job and I am 100% convinced that today I am excactly where I needed to be. This is and always was my life, I got so connected with the food and beverage industry that I became blind towards a different career.
This is not only my job, this is my life,
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.cibodivinomkt.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cibodivinomkt/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CiboDivinoMarketplace
Image Credits
Kathy Tran
