Adrienne Cheatham Instagram – I haven’t posted because it felt wrong when there are so many people who knew him so much better than I did. But after processing it feels worse to not pay respect and tribute to someone I admired so much in our industry.
I staged at EMP with Jamal years ago, arranged by my friend @chefchrisflint when I was thinking about leaving Le Bernardin. He was serious about the work, but didn’t take himself too seriously. He wasn’t aloof or standoffish, talked about his family background and helped me see myself in fine dining. Towards the end of service he gave me a piece of hiramasa and said “you guys from LB are good with fish, you have 30 minutes to create a dish.” I brought my dish to the pass where he dissected it, shared it with the sous chefs, and offered me a job. I stayed at LB and took sous instead but he always showed love when I saw him at events over the years, and every time I started with “you may not remember me…” He would always say “stop it, I know you” and said that even though I left restaurants he was glad I was killing it.
After this picture (in early March?) I went out to dinner with Jamal and @chef.dannygarcia and what we thought would be a quick sit down turned into much longer. He was truly one of the coolest, most real people in our industry, in pursuit of the highest achievements but with both feet firmly on the ground.
At dinner he was gracious with his advice and sharing insight, but also asked my perspective on things he was thinking through. He could have taken his foot off the gas at any point; he had already accomplished enough for an entire career but it also felt like he was just at the beginning of so much. His legacy will shine as brightly as he did. Praying for his beloved wife and children, and sending so much love and support to them, his loved ones, and entire team.
Cheers to you, Chef | Posted on 18/Jun/2024 22:17:25
