Dano Holcomb is an Illinois native with keen palate for Southern food. After spending 14
years coaching NCAA Division I soccer, Dano put his first career to rest in 2009 and
moved to New Orleans to attend culinary school. There, he worked in some of NOLA’s
finest kitchens, learning essential qualities of classic Creole, French, and Southern cuisine
under several James Beard-nominated chefs.
Upon completion of his degree from Delgado Community College Culinary
Institute in 2011, Dano went to work at Harvest Moon Grille in Charlotte, NC where he
worked under farm-to-table pioneer Cassie Parsons and Charlotte Food Truck legend
Brian Stockholm (Papi Queso). 
Root Down was born in 2013, when Dano took his Statesville-based food truck to
the streets, later relocating to Asheville in 2014. It’s been voted the city’s Best Food
Truck four times in a row and has been featured among
Southern Living’s Best Southern Food Trucks, as well as making an appearance on
CNN’s Wander Musts. Dano, who lives in Asheville with his wife and two sons, was also
selected as a guest chef on Cloud 9 Adventure’s music festival voyage Jam Cruise.