Today we’d like to introduce you to Adrianne Calvo.
Hi Adrianne, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I originally wanted to be a journalist. I used to do the morning news at my middle school and high school. But in my Junior year, I was put into a cooking class by mistake instead of TV production. In the two weeks, while I was waiting for my schedule to get fixed, Johnson and Wales University (one of the best culinary universities) came to do a demo for the class. I call that moment the “lightning strike” because it’s as if they were only speaking to me.
From that point on, all I wanted to do was be a chef and I was willing to do whatever it took. I competed in over 20 competitions to raise money for culinary school. And 20 more during culinary school. I won 90% of all the competitions and my reputation started to form. I was winning based on Flavor. From those winning competition recipes came my first cookbook – Maximum Flavor. With that, I became the youngest cookbook author in America and was featured on Montel William’s last show before he retired.
My cookbook sales soared. At 22 years old, I opened Chef Adrianne’s Vineyard restaurant and wine bar in an unassuming shopping center next to a tire shop in the suburbs. We were a farm-to-table, chef-driven, new American restaurant at the time when most didn’t even know what that was – and before social media. Those who had heard of the restaurant opening thought I was crazy and would fail quickly. Thirteen years later, we’d won Best Restaurant Miami and Best Chef several times. Instagram had been born and now I could communicate directly with people on exactly what we were creating in that unassuming shopping center; culinary magic.
In 2020, right before the pandemic hit, we planned to expand into our new location at the Palms in town and country. No one could imagine what was to come with lockdown and the worldwide pandemic. Doubt, challenges, adversity, and an industry turned on its back are what I faced. By the grace of God, we’re still here. We’ve continued to garner Best Restaurant by people’s choice and Best Chef. There’s so much more to say but this is an interview, not a book, lol.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I believe that as an entrepreneur and restaurateur, there are daily challenges and obstacles, much more when you are a sole proprietor like myself, and more so when you are a woman.
On a daily, you deal with staffing issues, market fluctuations, inflation, equipment breaking, etc. The important thing is to lead your team with confidence, strategy, and empathy.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
What I love most about Miami is its communal and family-like ties even though it’s a big metropolitan city. What I least like about it is the 5 pm traffic on the 836.
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.Chefadriannes.com
- Instagram: @chefadrianne
