CHEF ADRIANNE CALVO

Known for her signature Maximum Flavor creations, Chef Adrianne Calvo is an acclaimed chef, author, television personality, YouTube host, and restaurateur. Calvo received a Bachelor of Arts (2004) at Johnson & Wales University and is in the process of earning her Master of Business Administration from at Harvard Business School (2022). Yet, even with the most prestigious schooling under her belt, Calvo says that hands-on kitchen study was her best teacher – learning directly from notable chefs across the country.

At the young age of 22, Calvo was inspired to open her namesake restaurant, Chef Adrianne’s Vineyard Restaurant and Bar (“Chef Adrianne’s”). The restaurant quickly grew in popularity with Calvo’s Maximum Flavor cuisine infused in all corners of the menu – from her 24-hour Braised Prime Beef Short Rib to her insta-famous French Onion Soup (only served on Tuesdays). In 2014 and 2017, Chef Adrianne’s was awarded Best Restaurant by Miami New Times’ Readers’ Choice Awards, but Calvo had more than just the fan vote, the media agreed. The restaurant was also named among Zagat’s 15 Most Unique Restaurants and noted as one of the 17 Most Important Restaurants in Miami by Thrillist. This would be a life’s accomplishment for most, but for Calvo it was the just the beginning.

Chef Adrianne became the youngest person to cook for the United Nations and its ambassadors, is a five-time award winner of Miami New Times’ Best Chef (2014, 2016, 2018, 2021), has competed on Food Network’s Chopped and Beat Bobby Flay and was recognized for her recipes and concepts in Bon Appetit, Better Homes & Gardens, USA Today, and Saveur.

In 2019, Chef Adrianne launched Cracked by Chef Adrianne(“Cracked”) a fine-casual concept that is equal parts fun as it is serious about food. Cracked brings out the nostalgic side of Calvo’s childhood with larger-than-life Spoonable Shakes, a Burrata Bar, and Truffled Pepperoni Pizza Fries that received not only national praise in Flavor & The Menu, but international recognition by Food Network Canada. Food Network also included Cracked’s Elote in their list of Best Things to Eat in Miami

The true testament to Chef Adrianne’s focuses and dedication was in 2020. When the restaurant industry saw some of its toughest moments, Calvo pursued her biggest expansion. Forming the Maximum Flavor Hospitality Group, Calvo would launch her third concept, announce her fourth, and relocate her flagship restaurant.

The expansion started with the rebirth of the historic Matheson Hammock Park restaurant space, which Calvo transformed with her signature maximum flavor touch in June 2020, offering beachfront seafood-forward dining at Redfish by Chef Adrianne. Among the many accolades, the stellar concept with magnificent views received national recognition in USA Today noting it as one of 10 of their Favorite Beachfront Restaurants Across Florida. Shortly thereafter in August 2020, Calvo announced the expanded footprint of her flagship restaurant, Chef Adrianne’s, sizing up some 8,000 square-feet in space and adding outdoor waterfront seating that overlooks a gorgeous lake.

In June of 2021 she launched Forte by Chef Adrianne, an Italian concept that paid homage to her mother by bearing her name and familial roots. Since its launch, it has received immense praise from numerous South Florida outlets including Ocean Drive, Eater, and Time Out. Calvo’s dive into Italian culture was the catalyst for a new house-wine label set to launch in the fall of 2021 – “A” a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon – and the deeper focus she is taking to bread making and baking.

Calvo’s hobby and professed “continued education study,” is traveling, tasting, and leaning. She is always searching for maximum flavor inspiration, ultimately to bring home to her kitchen and serve her guests. In spring 2021, she made the decision to document this pursuit and launched a YouTube series entitled, “Searching for Maximum Flavor.” The travel show combines food, fun, and adventure in 20-minute episodes wherein Calvo meets the creators behind- and studies some of- the country’s most iconic dishes, and then gives them a vibrant dose of her “maximum flavor,” at-home in her kitchen.

To date, Chef Calvo has produced six cookbooks: Maximum Flavor (2005); Chef Adrianne: Driven by Flavor, Fueled by Fire (2008), #MaximumFlavorSocial (2014); Play With Fire (2015); and The A-List, a two-volume work released in 2018. When she’s not writing, traveling, or commanding the line at one of her restaurants, Calvo can be found filming her weekly local NBC segment or at various charity events supporting her foundation, Make it Count, that’s mission is to help inspire young people to achieve their goals.

For more information about Chef Calvo visit adriannecalvo.com and follow her on Instagram @ChefAdrianne.

Media Contacts:

Rockaway PR, Marketing & Events
Gita Shonek / Alexis Knapp
chefadrianne@rockawaypr.com
305.751.9641