Jody Adams (chef)

Jody Adams (born c. 1956/1957)[1] is an American chef and restaurateur. Adams owns and operates TRADE and Porto in Massachusetts. She was owner and executive chef of Rialto in Cambridge, Massachusetts, for over 20 years. In 1997, she won the James Beard Award for Best Chef in America Northeast.

Jody Adams
Born1956/1957 (age 63–64)
EducationBrown University
Spouse(s)Ken Rivard
Culinary career

Early life and education

Jody Adams was raised in New England. Adams grew up eating New England cuisine, prepared by her mother. [2]

Adams attended Brown University, majoring in anthropology. While attending Brown, Adams worked at a cooking school owned by Nancy Verde Barr in Providence, Rhode Island. Adams enjoyed working in the kitchen at the cooking school more than attending college.[2] Around 1980, Julia Child visited Providence, for a Planned Parenthood fundraiser. Verde Barr was the executive chef at the fundraiser. Adams volunteered to assist at the fundraiser. After the fundraiser, Adams met Child and Sara Moulton. Moulton and Child encouraged Adams to pursue a career in the culinary industry and told her she should work for Lydia Shire in Boston.[1]

After graduating from Brown, Adams traveled through Europe for five months.[3]

Culinary career

Adams proceeded to pursue a culinary career in response to her encouragement from Moulton and Child. By 1983, she was working for Lydia Shire at Shire's seminal Seasons Restaurant in Boston. In 1983, she opened Gordon Hamersley's namesake bistro as its sous chef.[2]

She left Hamersley's in 1990 to serve as executive chef at Michaela's in East Cambridge, Massachusetts. Adams created menus focused on regional Italian and New England cuisine. For work at Michaela's, Adams was named one of the top ten chefs in the United States by Food & Wine in 1993.[2]

Restaurants

In September 1994,[2] Adams opened Rialto at the Charles Hotel on Harvard Square.[4] The restaurant earned four stars from The Boston Globe within four months of opening.[2] During her tenure at Rialto, Adams was nominated for the James Beard Award for Best Chef in America, Northeast, five times. She won the award in 1997.[5] In 2002, Adams' book In the Hands of a Chef: Cooking with Jody Adams of Rialto Restaurant was published. Adams bought out her partners at Rialto in 2007, becoming sole owner. The restaurant was named one of the best in the country by Esquire in 2007.[2] As of 2014, Rialto grossed almost $4 million annually and employed 50 people. In April 2016, it was announced that Adams would leave Rialto. The restaurant closed in June 2016.[4]

In 2011, Adams opened her second restaurant, TRADE, in the Waterfront area of Boston.[6] She would open two more restaurants five years later, in 2016: Saloniki, a Greek fast-casual restaurant,[7] and Porto, a Mediterranean restaurant, in the Back Bay neighborhood of Boston in July 2016.[8] Saloniki has two additional locations, both in Cambridge. Saloniki and Porto were opened in partnership with Eric Papachristos, with Jon Mendez also co-owning Saloniki In October 2019, Adams opened Greek Street at Time Out Market Boston with Papachristos and Mendez.[7]

Television and culinary writing

Adams was a contestant on the second season of Top Chef Masters.[2] She writes a blog with Ken Rivard. Called The Garum Factory, it provides recipes for the home cook and it is illustrated with Rivard's photographs.[6]

Views of the restaurant industry

Adams cites her biggest challenges with owning a restaurant as the high costs and profit margins, in addition to hiring talented and skilled employees. On hiring, Adams says "It’s most important to hire people who believe in the mission of the business. Skills can be taught on a foundation of passion and commitment. It rarely works the other way around."[1]

She acknowledges that there toxic masculinity is common in the culinary industry. She has been sexually harassed in professional kitchens. Adams also believes that male chefs get more attention than female chefs, including in the media.[1]

Works
  • Adams, Jody and Kevin Rivard. In the Hands of A Chef: Cooking with Jody Adams of Rialto Restaurant. New York: William Morrow Cookbooks (2002). ISBN 068816837X

Personal life

Adams is married to Ken Rivard. They have two adult children.[1] Philanthropically, Adams supports the Greater Boston Food Bank, Partners in Health, and Share Our Strength.[2]

One of her favorite ingredients to cook with is scallops, which she describes as "quintessential New England fare."[3]

References
  1. Debaise, Colleen (June 12, 2014). "Women Who Belong in the Kitchen: Jody Adams". The NY Times. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
  2. "Chef Jody Adams of Rialto - Biography". Star Chefs. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
  3. "Chef Jody Adams of Back Bay's Porto Reveals Her Top Dish and Travel Spot [Sponsor Content]". Boston Magazine. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  4. Hatic, Dana (22 June 2016). "Rialto Marks Its Last Service in Harvard Square Today". Eater Boston. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  5. "Jody Adams". James Beard Foundation. James Beard Foundation. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  6. "Chef Jody Adams at Trade in Boston, MA". BostonChefs.com. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
  7. Hatic, Dana (3 October 2019). "Acclaimed Boston Chef Jody Adams Brings a Greek Restaurant to Fenway's New Food Hall". Eater Boston. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  8. Toussaint, Kristin (July 11, 2016). "It's a fresh seafood spectacular at the now open Back Bay restaurant from chef Jody Adams". Boston.com. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
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