DI Dinners' chef Todd Ladd joins Dockery's culinary team
Two of Daniel Island’s most popular culinary teams have joined forces – and it’s a pairing both hope will lead to enhanced dining experiences for their customers.
On Tuesday, Dockery’s announced the acquisition of Daniel Island Dinners and the addition of chef Todd Ladd to the restaurant’s staff. Ladd will oversee and operate the expanding catering, food truck, and in-home dining services of Dockery’s, as well as manage off-site events for the restaurant. Joining Ladd on the team will be his Daniel Island Dinners’ sous chef Mark Murr.
“It’s a great opportunity, for us especially,” said Ladd. “We’re so excited!”
“I’m most excited about having another, better way to reach the community,” said Dockery’s executive chef Andy McLeod. “Dockery’s has grown a lot in the past years it’s been open, but in the past year especially. And I think on the island, when Todd comes on board, it’s going to be bringing in somebody from the community that we want to reach, whose had awesome success and made a great reputation for himself. So adding Todd to the team is just going to be huge for us, just from an impact on the island and then hopefully beyond that.”
“I think on the Daniel Island Dinners side, our growth has just been so rapid that we as a company can only take on so much,” continued Ladd, “and the culinary team at Dockery’s is really solid and I thought if we came together we can all make each other better…Dockery’s has a brand that’s just been stronger and stronger since Andy came on board and there is so much potential.”
The partnership will blend Ladd’s catering and in-home dining service with the large kitchen experience offered by McLeod and the Dockery’s team. A new catering service, to feature Ladd’s mobile kitchen, now wrapped in the Dockery’s logo, will be available for corporate and private events throughout the Lowcountry. In addition to events that can be served from the food truck, the Dockery’s team will be working to provide in-home dining experiences to small groups. The mobile kitchen will also be available for pop-up lunches at a variety of locations. Daniel Island Dinners regulars need not fear – a few of chef Ladd’s popular creations will still be on the menu, such as his truffled tator tots, shirazi salad and Philly cheesesteak, but so will some of McLeod’s specialties.
“This is a blend,” added Ladd. “…It’s a collaborative effort.”
Customers can check the Dockery’s website at www.DockerysDI.com for the mobile kitchen’s daily locations and menus. While the truck’s dinner service is not part of the short term plan, it may be available in the future. Dockery’s has developed an app for customers wanting to pick up take-out dinners at the restaurant.
Ladd said he is grateful for his dedicated clientele on Daniel Island and is hopeful they will continue to support his new venture.
“It’s still Todd,” he said. “Nothing changes except we get to elevate the quality of food that we do and the service, with the amount of employees we have at Dockery’s…It just made a lot of sense for us to come together and grow and show what we have the potential to do.”
“It’s about expanding what we’re capable of here,” added McLeod. “And working with Todd is a privilege.”