Photo Courtesy of Chef Adrianne Calvo
Adrianne Calvo took a bold step launching her Italian eatery Forte in 2021. The Miami celebrity chef, restaurateur, TV host and author of five cookbooks knew opening during pandemic recovery would be a challenge. Still, managing difficulties seem woven into her ethos — when the going gets tough, Calvo keeps cooking and carries on.
After all, it was during the recession in 2007 when Calvo, then 23, made her mark on the Miami dining scene with the opening of her signature eatery, Chef Adrianne’s Vineyard Restaurant and Bar. “There seems to be a theme here,” she said. “I keep saying that God has a sense of humor with my career.”
Calvo, known for her “Maximum Flavor” culinary concept, defied trends, opening the Napa Valley-inspired restaurant in an unassuming Kendall strip mall. Her success came through developing recipes that “people were willing to drive for,” like her osso bucco, she explains. Word-of-mouth raves followed, winning accolades for the chef and the restaurant.
Now, fans drive for the “Maximum Flavor” menus at all of Chef Adrianne’s establishments: Chef Adrianne’s Vineyard Restaurant and Bar, which moved to a new, larger location in 2020 in Kendall and features a Dark Dining experience; Cracked, a fast casual eatery that opened in 2019; Redfish Grill, reborn as Redfish by Chef Adrianne in 2020, nestled in scenic Matheson Hammock Park and the newest, Forte (her mother’s maiden name) on Miracle Mile in Coral Gables.
Although her passion for cooking began as a child in her mother’s Chicago kitchen, Calvo considers Miami her hometown. After graduating from Johnson & Wales University, she honed her skills with opportunities like catering the 2003 Florida Marlins World Series and working at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Miami.
With a weekly cooking spot on NBC 6 South Florida and a YouTube series “In Search of Maximum Flavor,” where Calvo travels across the country exploring local culture and cuisines, the chef promotes her philosophy of exciting the palate.
“It’s not just like a travel guide, it’s ‘go eat like a chef eats,’” she says.
Calvo, who is working on her MBA from Harvard Business School, (“hopefully class of 2022”), says her drive springs from the experience of having her younger sister Jennifer succumb to cancer in 2006.
“I really learned the value of a minute, a moment and a day. Those things that sounds super cliché, but when you live something like that, it stays with you and you really know how to appreciate and be grateful.”
Charged by her sister’s mission to help St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, Calvo creates a holiday meal every year for patients, families and doctors through her Make It Count foundation.
Time management is key to keeping it all going, but the 37-year-old chef says she never needs a break.
“I’m very fortunate that my career is awesome. I’m not looking for downtime. I started my career obsessed with feeding people and having them love my food. It’s going to be 15 years and I love it even more, I’m still obsessed with feeding everyone.”