Many entrepreneurs find success by sharing a bold vision with their customers. But chef Adrianne Calbo is trying to make something big happen by putting on a blindfold instead.
In 2007, at the age of 22, she opened her first restaurant in Miami, Chef Adrian's Vineyard Restaurant and Bar. Diners there offer award-winning cuisine inspired by Napa Valley and a truly unique “dark dining” experience. It involves guests sitting in a dark room, blindfolded, and served a mystery meal. Adrianne calls it “a step away from the norm,” and judging by how consistently sold out it is, it's the kind of culinary adventure diners are craving.
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Adrianne is now channeling that experience of eating in the dark into her new podcast/vodcast, Searching for Maximum Flavor. On the show, Adrianne sits down with celebrities like Patton Oswalt to discuss her continued search for her personal “bliss point” through food, travel, and connections with other people. Each guest is served Chef Adrianne's signature blindfold, and unexpected joy, laughter, and excitement immediately ensue.
I spoke to the inventive chef and host about her show, her career, and what shutting down our senses can open our hearts at the dinner table and beyond. We talked about.
You're a very successful restaurateur and cookbook author, and your e-commerce business is booming, so why do you have a podcast?
I truly believe that in business today, success is all about storytelling. No matter what your business is, you need to tell a story. Mine is food. It's a food experience. More people than ever are coming to buy products. why, the story behind it. The only difference between my plate and seven million other plates of food is that it's my story and it's unique to me.
You've embraced storytelling through social media long before many people understood its brand-building power.
I was there when Facebook and Instagram first started gaining traction. That's why my followers have been with me since my first post at my first restaurant in my early 20s. We've been through all the cookbooks, TV shows, competition shows, all the ups and downs and different trends together. My advice to people who are just starting to build their social media brand is that it's a marathon, not a sprint. Find the pace of posting that works for you and your life. You don't have to share everything.
What trends have you seen that you doubted had any value for many years, but now consider to be a great asset?
First of all, let me say that there are so many new trends happening all the time and it's great to experiment, but you need to stick to what feels authentic to you. What is classy, what is elegant, what is good is the most important thing. People are drawn to that. That's why hamburgers never go out of style. The world's love for burgers and fries will never die.
In terms of business trends, I remember saying, “I will never do delivery!” Uber Eats, Postmates, Grubhub, all these platforms — I never thought our restaurant food would translate. People don't order $70 Five Diamond Reserve filet mignon delivered to their door. Well, what do you think? that's right. And most of my income comes from deliveries. So keep your eyes and mind open to opportunities and be ready to pivot.
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Speaking of being open-eyed, can you tell us about the blindfolded part of the show?
I take guests on this experiential journey blindfolded. This fragile situation allows us to offer food experiences like no other. It seems like a metaphor for many life lessons. When we remove our biases about what we think we like and what we don't like, we are able to experience things with a more open mind. Eating blindfolded allows you to pick up on nuances, subtle background flavors, different textures, and even the temperature you're experiencing that you might miss with your eyes open. Masu.
What advice would you give to people who are hungry to start their own business but don't know what that business should look like?
The first thing to remember is that it's a lot like love, and you have to keep loving it. I love what I do. I'm very happy to be able to do what I love every day. I get out of bed every morning excited to do something in the culinary world I love so much. And I can do it with a great team. The important point I want to make is that you can't run this alone, so as much as you love the brand and company culture, it's important to have a team around you. That's the secret weapon: love and team.
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The second step is to narrow down your ideas. Ask yourself, “Would I be able to do this 24 hours a day, every day of my life?” We're available 24 hours a day, even when you're on vacation. Narrow it down to the top three and refine from those top three. Spend a month doing these as hobbies and see which one you enjoy the most. Please concentrate on that.
And finally, if you really want it to be successful, think about whether this is what people need. Think about the categories of business that people consistently spend money on, regardless of their economic situation. What if you could align your true passion with a product or service that people have always wanted or needed? You're off to a great start.
