When the chef at her former husband’s restaurant left unexpectedly, it was Roberta Adamo who jumped in to begin making pasta with a recipe she found in a cookbook and childhood memories of making pasta at her grandmother’s side. It was here that the happy accident of Roberta’s Pasta Chef Career began.
Adamo’s next stop was a position close to home at Catelli’s Restaurant in Voorhees. It was at Catelli’s that Roberta worked under Chef Louis Imbesi, who gave her the freedom to experiment and create uniquely delicious pastas such as orange and pink (raspberry and orange reduction) striped ravioli filled with duck, and cucumber and dill flavored pasta with salmon.
The opportunity to work with Francesco Martorella brought Adamo to downtown Philadelphia’s Brasserie Perrier, where she was hired to create pasta for the Italian section of the restaurant’s esteemed fusion menu. Martorella’s purist approach to pasta (egg or spinach dough, potato Gnocchi) gave Adamo a chance to perfect the basic foundations of pasta making. Martorella’s simple, clean and uncomplicated cooking method was a greatly admired by Adamo, and she carried this inspiration with her when she joined The Ritz Carlton after 3 ½ years at the Brasserie. The Ritz connected Adamo to Chefs Kai Lerman and Alberto Vonoli. She learned a great deal from both chefs, most notably Vonoli’s beautiful Garaganelle dough, which she stills uses today.
From the Ritz Adamo was lured to Penne by then General Manager Harry Kratz. She contacted her good friend Chef Ed Vadden, who, along with Penne’s current Chef de Cuisine Eileen Watkin, created the culinary magic that supported Adamo’s specialized art of pasta. After opening Penne as the Pasta Chef, Adamo recently accepted the position of Restaurant Chef, allowing her to continue spreading the philosophy that food “should sing and not scream any one note louder than the other. Balance is key, whether it’s taste, texture, color or temperature. It is an art I adore and I am thrilled every day I have a chance to experience it.”
Adamo is affiliated with the Slow Food Movement, as well as proud member of Les Dames de Escoffier.
The good fortune of having a mother that cooked interesting, diverse cuisines as a hobby at home inspired Chef Eileen Watkin very early on. By the time she graduated high school, Watkin knew that she wanted to cook, and she followed this passion to the esteemed Culinary Institute of America.
An internship at The Commanders Palace in New Orleans connected Watkin to Chef Jamie Shannon, whose considerable skill, talent and energy demonstrated the benefit of an organized, well-run and consistent kitchen. Following her internship and graduation in 1997, Watkin went on to work under Francesco Marterolla and Chris Scarduzio at Brasserie Perrier; it was also here that she met chefs Roberta Adamo and Ed Vadden, with whom she would go on to open two highly successful restaurants in the years to follow.
Watkin worked alongside Chefs Vadden and Andrew Hewson under 2-Star Michelin Chef Kai Lerman, helping to create contemporary American Cuisine focusing on Organic Produce at the opening of the Ritz Carlton in 2000.
Watkin re-joined Roberta Adamo and Ed Vadden at the opening of Penne in 2002, where she began as a Sous Chef and recently accepted the position of Chef de Cuisine. Eileen’s fare focuses on “fresh, bright flavors that create a stimulating and appealingly balanced experience for all parts of the palate.”
Chef Adamo's Tips and Techniques.
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