As Chef and owner of Faro, Kevin Adey is intent on helping America reclaim its mantle as the breadbasket of the world by celebrating the terroir of wheat—one of the first small farmer-grown crops to die out with the advent of automation. Which means he’s cleansed his Michelin-starred eatery entirely of commercially-processed flour, in favor of whole grains like amaranth, rye, and einkorn, obtained from purveyors such as Champlain Milling, Cayuga Pure Organics, and the Union Square Greenmarket’s Regional Grains Project, which is an initiative to revitalize and sustainably scale up the production of grains in the Northeast. Not to mention, the meals he makes out of these grains at Faro in Bushwick, and the hand-thrown, local pottery on which he serves them, are pretty hard to beat
How did you become involved in your line of work?
I started cooking about 30 years ago when I had to help my mom with cooking dinner. I really fell in love with it and started cooking professionally in college.
Tell us a little bit about your present work, the Cliffs Notes version of your day to day job.
I currently am in charge of the kitchen at Faro, overseeing the day to day operations, bread, and pasta production, the changing of the seasonal menus, and the tasting menu.
What do you find most fulfilling about your work?
The most fulfilling part of my job is teaching the line cooks to become chefs, to think differently about their work, flavors, and ingredients.
What is your proudest achievement with this work and what is your greatest challenge?
My proudest achievement is seeing the dining room filled with smiling faces every night, and my biggest challenge is maintaining our Michelin star status.
What do you hope changes or improves (or continues!) in your field in the future?
I hope we continue to grow and learn more, and get better every day.
Who would you nominate for this list?
I would nominate Angel Otero, or Noel Allain.
Learn more about this year’s 100 Influencers in Brooklyn Culture.
Photo by Nicole Fara Silver
