Edible Sacramento Fall 2022

“I always had the desire to have a real Italian restaurant. Not anything fancy, but something more casual. My daughter was game, so we decided to go for it.”

But once in the program, Polo was hooked. Afterward, he went on to work at several restaurants around Sacra mento, including Selland’s Market-Café, and then to the famed Restaurant Gary Danko in San Francisco. RETURNING TO HIS ROOTS When Adamo’s original chef left in 2016, Polo jumped at the chance to come home and take over the kitchen at the family business. With him, he brought an in novative approach to Italian cooking, one that seamlessly blends classic f la vors with local ingredients and modern tastes. “I love Sacramento,” Polo says about returning to his hometown. “The access we have to ingredients is unreal. The farms are right here. At one farm, I buy

Chiara, who calls her dad a “jack of all trades,” says that he made pasta by fol lowing the same techniques as his own mother, an Italian immigrant. The res taurant’s most popular dish, Bolognese, is similar to his family recipe, consisting of San Marzano tomatoes, mirepoix, and local beef simmered for hours and served with pappardelle. Polo didn’t set out to become a chef. As a student at Sacramento State study ing athletic training, he realized he didn’t have the same enthusiasm as his class mates. So he switched to the culinary arts program at American River College in Sacramento, thinking at least he’d learn some practical skills and save a buck or two eating meals he prepared himself. He assumed he’d return to Sac State later and figure out what he really wanted to do.

Clockwise from top left: Fried octopus with crispy grilled Yukon gold potatoes, salsa verde, okra, corn, and lemon; House-made ravioli; Vegan summer squash pasta; Selec tion of imported Italian olive oil and wines, including some from the Adamo family’s own vineyard; House-made meatballs

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edible Sacramento