DANTE CANTAL

Entrepreneur of the Year
Commercial/Industrial Production

Engineering, creativity, and handcrafted design have long been the traits that have made Dante Cantal a leading designer in the barbeque industry. Today, Dante's dream to build the finest residential gas barbeques in the world continues and his legacy of innovations speaks for itself.

After graduating as a mechanical engineer in the Philippines in 1977, Dante immediately went to work designing indoor appliances for Philippines Appliance Corporation (Philacor). In 1982, he moved to the United States and worked for U.S. Range Company in Gardena, Ca (a division of Welbilt Corp.) designing cooking equipment for hotels and restaurants.
In 1985, he worked as a product engineer for Wells Manufacturing in Nevada, designing commercial gas ranges, griddles, and deep fat fryers. In 1989, Dante worked with Jade Range Company in California as head of the engineering team designing commercial cooking equipment for hotels, casinos, and restaurants.

These early experiences set the stage for Dante's transition to outdoor cooking appliances and led to Dante's next design -- the Lynx Professional Grills, created in partnership with the Lynx Professional Kitchen Products.

By 1998, Dante's pursuit of excellence was being noticed by the grill industry. Dante founded Delta HDS with the principals at Jade Range Company and new grill product lines were born -names the Dynasty, Maytag, and Jenn-air Grills.
Dante's vision continued to grow and in 200, he founded the Twin Eagles, Inc. The company's commitment to original equipment manufacturing progressed, and it soon produced two more premium lines of outdoor grills -the Ducane Meridian and Calspa Calflame.

Dante's innovations were aptly recognized. In 1995, he was introduced as a Fellow to the Institute for the Advancement of Engineering. In 2000, he was the recipient of the Art Theobald Award, the highest honor given by American Society of Gas Engineers (ASGE) to a member. This award recognized Dante's long term dedication and his numerous achievements in the gas industry. He served as the ASGE West Cost Chapter President in 1993-1994. A Certified Gas Engineer, Dante continues his dedication in the gas industry and this year 2005, he is serving as vice president of the ASGE National Office.

Throughout the years, Dante's dream continued to flourish. In 2004, his efforts culminated into his own product line: the Twin Eagles grills which are being manufactured in the City of Cerritos, California.

Dante is an active member of the Filipino American Association of Anaheim Hills and Filipino American Chamber of Commerce of Orange County.