Jody Adams: 5 things I can't live without

James Beard Award winning chef Jody Adams is the owner of Rialto in Cambridge, MA, and TRADE, located along Boston’s historic Waterfront District. She also has a successful blog, The Garum Factory, a weekly narrative of recipes for the home cook, illustrated by her husband Ken’s photographs. When she’s not cooking or writing, she’s often riding her bicycle. She has biked in the 192-mile Pan Mass Challenge for the past three years, raising more than $250,000 for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

1. Extra virgin olive oil. I use it for everything. It keeps my hands from drying out in the winter and makes a great mayonnaise, which my father taught me to make when I was about 10. I’ve been making it ever since.

2. Seven bicycle. It literally keeps me on the road. At this point in my life, after 30 years in the restaurant business, I have to take care of my mind and body in order to keep up with my young team and partners. Riding 50 to 80 miles a week when weather permits makes it possible.

3. Jean Garcia Millien. He’s been working with me for over 20 years and is in charge of the dish machine at Rialto. He’s one of the most reliable and  consistent members of my team. He keeps the rest of us in line.

4. Berkel slicer. It’s manual and doesn’t run on electricity so the fat of cured meats doesn’t
get warm and melt during slicing. It’s so well designed, and beautiful to use.

5. Crooked Brook chefs coat. I have been buying the same coat for at least 17 years—Kimono style women’s chef jacket made out of Egyptian cotton. It’s incredibly comfortable and flattering.  It fits my body, unlike most boxy made-for-a-man chef coats.