Chef Danny of Babylon's Carriage House restaurant is shown at right. Bravo channel Top Chef contestant and chef de cuisine of the Babylon Carriage House, Daniel Gagnon, has made a lasting impression with his culinary skills upon the millions of Americans who tune into this popular cable program. Locally, diners at the Babylon Carriage House get to experience his culinary delights first hand with dishes that offer his unique blend of Asian, Italian, and American food.

Of French-Canadian heritage, Gagnon dabbles in French cooking too. This interest he attributes to his French-Canadian grandmother whom he often cooked with. Ricotta Pistachio pound cake is one of their special recipes. Gagnon prepared it on the show and he says everyone just loved it. It's one of his signature dishes and he prefers to keep the recipe to that one in his "back pocket."

Gagnon beat out 150,000 other chefs who tried out for a spot on the show. Gagnon says he is extremely proud of that accomplishment alone. "Just to be accepted was unbelievable," said Gagnon.

Babylon Carriage House owner Jerry Cusack says Chef Danny has been with him for three and a half years and always comes up with creative dishes. "He puts dishes together that are not the norm and they flow, they work," said Cusack.

Gagnon has a skill for interacting with the restau- rant's patron too. "He knows how to work a room," said Cusack.

The proof is in the "pudding" or in this case the patrons. One diner wrote to the Carriage House after dining there for his wife's special birthday that "from the wonderful service to the delicious food … we very much enjoyed our dining experience. Top Chef Danny Gagnon even visited our table and wished my wife a happy birthday."

Born and raised in New Hyde Park and also a current resident of this town, he trained at the Culinary Institute in upstate Hyde Park. He has been in the culinary business for eight years. "I wanted to show what Danny Gagnon is made of," said Gagnon. He says that's the main reason why he tried out for the show.

Gagnon defines himself as an all-around chef, cooking everything from soup to nuts - literally. That's an important distinction, since his goal is to one day open his own restaurant. "I just need to find the right investors," said Gagnon.