Edible Sacramento Fall 2022

BACK OF THE HOUSE

From left: John, Chiara, and Polo Adamo, owners of Adamo’s Kitchen in Sacramento; This photo of John as a toddler with his parents and siblings is special to the Adamo family and hangs in the restaurant

Family Matters Homegrown chef returns to his roots. WRITTEN BY ELIZABETH PENNEY PHOTOS BY DEBBIE CUNNINGHAM

F

or many chefs, working in a restaurant is a lifelong dream. Their pas sion for food comes at a young age, and they grow up experimenting in the kitchen. But chef Polo Adamo’s foray into the culinary world was much more practical: He wanted to save money by learning how to cook his own meals. His practicality blossomed into a career that would later earnhima devoted fan following at his family-run restaurant, Adamo’sKitchen in Midtown Sacramento. Two other Adamos actually opened Adamo’s Kitchen in 2014: John, Polo’s dad, and Chiara, his sister. Johnmade all the pasta by hand each day while Chiara handled the front of house. Although neither John nor Chiara had any experience running a restaurant, it had been a longtime goal. “I always had the desire to have a real Italian restaurant,” John says. “Not anything fancy, but somethingmore casual. My daughter was game, so we decid ed to go for it.”

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