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Key Takeaways
- A Food Network victory launched Shemtob’s career, but a kitchen injury inspired his next big idea.
- Drawing on his own years in hospitality, Shemtob built Snibbs to elevate workers who spend their days serving others.
- After losing his home in the 2025 LA fires, Daniel Shemtob turned tragedy into action.
What’s harder? Running a restaurant or a shoe company?
Daniel Shemtob doesn’t even pause before answering. “They’re both so goddamn equally hard,” he says, laughing.
He would know. The chef-turned-founder has done both. In hospitality, he’s the force behind The Lime Truck, a Southern California favorite that became a national name. Before winning The Great Food Truck Race on the Food Network, Shemtob had already built a loyal following with his fresh, fast and fearless approach to food. Then he took that same truck, drove it from Malibu to Miami and won the entire competition.
“Running a food truck teaches you everything about business,” Shemtob says. “Real estate, logistics, customer service, supply chain, you learn it all.” That education led to more than just TV fame. It fueled a restaurant career that includes Hatch, his acclaimed full-service concept.
Related: This AI Tool for Restaurant Owners Is Giving ‘Hours’ of Time Back
Somewhere between late-night service and early-morning prep, Shemtob found his next obsession: shoes. After a bad slip in the kitchen left him injured, he started questioning why every non-slip work shoe looked and felt terrible. “Nothing represented who we are,” he says. “Chefs, nurses, bartenders, they deserve something better.”
That frustration became Snibbs, a design-forward footwear company built for workers who never sit down. Five years of trial and error produced a shoe that chefs actually want to wear. Collaborations with industry icons like Nancy Silverton followed, along with a mission-driven program that has donated more than 1,000 pairs to hospitality workers in need.
I put Snibbs to the test. My company’s catering manager, Steven Swiderski, tried them for a week and called them “lightweight, breathable and top-tier for long shifts.” When I read the review live during the show, Shemtob’s reaction said it all. “Tell Steven I’d give him a big hug,” he laughed. “That’s the best feedback you can get.”
Moments like that remind him why he started Snibbs in the first place. “I started as a busboy and worked every job up to CEO,” Shemtob says. “So if I can make life a little better for the people in those shoes, that’s success to me.”
Finding strength after the fire
On January 9, 2025, everything changed for Shemtob.
He and his wife had just settled into the Pacific Palisades, surrounded by family and preparing to welcome their first child. When a wildfire broke out nearby, they packed up quickly, assuming it was just a precaution. Hours later, their home security app sent an alert. Smoke had been detected. Then a window shattered. “That’s when we knew everything was gone,” he says.
Days later, Shemtob borrowed a friend’s bike and rode back into the neighborhood to see the damage for himself. “It looked like a war zone,” he recalls. “Cars burned out. Houses leveled. I passed my own house because I didn’t even recognize it.”
He lost nearly everything. His car, his late mother’s belongings, baby photos and years of memories were gone. But grief wasn’t where he stayed. Having already endured the pandemic, the loss of his mom and two failed businesses, he recognized that familiar ache and knew what to do next. “I learned during Covid that the best way to heal is to serve,” he says. “So I got to work.”
Within days, Shemtob was volunteering with World Central Kitchen, cooking for first responders and displaced families along the Pacific Coast Highway. Instead of accepting donations for himself, he raised money to help others rebuild. Snibbs joined the effort too, donating hundreds of pairs of shoes to hospitality workers and partnering with the California Restaurant Association to support those affected.
“Our company’s mission is to elevate the worker,” Shemtob says. “These are people who serve others every day. The least we can do is take care of them when they need it.”
For Shemtob, service connects everything. Whether he is feeding a crowd, designing a better shoe or rebuilding a life, his motivation is the same. “You have to stay active,” he says. “Helping people is what pulls you out of the dark. It’s the only way I know.”
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Key Takeaways
- A Food Network victory launched Shemtob’s career, but a kitchen injury inspired his next big idea.
- Drawing on his own years in hospitality, Shemtob built Snibbs to elevate workers who spend their days serving others.
- After losing his home in the 2025 LA fires, Daniel Shemtob turned tragedy into action.
What’s harder? Running a restaurant or a shoe company?
Daniel Shemtob doesn’t even pause before answering. “They’re both so goddamn equally hard,” he says, laughing.
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