What does this local chef and business owner who is crushing the food scene in Mt. Washington Valley do on his day off?

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He’s all about the “grilling and chilling” life! He’s making a stop at Veno’s Specialty Foods and Meats and picking up farm-fresh quality meats and picnic essentials for a day spent with family.

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From there you’ll find him at Echo Lake or White Lake State Parks playing with his kids in the water and reconnecting with his family after a busy week.

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And because family is so important to him, you’ll find him donating regularly to the Conway Parks and Rec Department, a town department that puts on regular summer and after-school programing for kids. He is also a regular supporter of Kennett High School’s Athletic Booster Club and Jen’s Friends Cancer Foundation, which provides financial assistance to families battling cancer.

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When you eat at Fire by Wicked Fresh, it’s like you’re eating with family. That’s the only way Chef Danny Rassi knows how to serve up food!

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Danny is a family man through and through, and he’s cultivating community wherever he goes; from his kitchen with his crew to spending an afternoon of quality time grilling in his backyard with his wife, daughters, sister and nieces and nephews.

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And speaking of family, Fire by Wicked Fresh is just one of his family’s businesses crushing the food scene in Mt. Washington Valley.

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Kathy Rassi Iannuzzi, Danny’s sister, is the head baker and owner of White Mountain Cupcakery with her husband. A winner of Food Network’s “Cupcake Wars,” this confection shop specializes in creative cupcakes and special occasion cakes. It’s an anchor, located in Settlers Green, that serves over 500 fresh cupcakes a day. (Danny is also an alumni of Food Network, appearing on its “Chopped” - Comfort Food Edition in 2020.)

In addition to owning Fire by Wicked Fresh together, Chef Danny and his brother-in-law, Marc Iannuzzi, also own and operate Wicked Fresh Craft Burgers, a fun and funky spot for locally sourced, fresh ground beef burgers, hand-cut fries and hand-spun shakes.

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Danny originally moved to the Mt. Washington Valley, a few years after his sister and brother-in-law did. He fell in love with the community feel, and especially loved the quality of education his kids had access to. Moving from a big city, once he crossed state lines into New Hampshire, it was a breath of fresh air. Literally and figuratively.

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On every level you can feel that everyone has your back. The sense of community in the valley is incomparable:

“My kids have personalized support at their schools and are given the opportunity to learn in ways that fit their individual needs and when I walk into town hall the town clerk’s know me by name.” This aspect of why Danny moved here became even more apparent when he decided to open Fire by Wicked Fresh.

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Prior to owning his own restaurants, Danny worked under Theresa Stearns, Culinary Institute of America trained chef and founder of White Mountain Cider Company, a revered casual fine-dining establishment in Bartlett as well as gourmet-to-go market place. When Theresa learned that Danny was going out on his own, she opened White Mountain Cider Company to him to host a pop-up event and let him do a burger take-over to test out his products.

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“How many chef’s let you take over their kitchen to create and sell your own menu? Chef Theresa’s support was priceless to me as a chef and newly minted restaurant owner.”

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