Adrian Forte is a Jamaican-Canadian

celebrity chef A celebrity chef is a kitchen chef who has become a celebrity. Today, chefs often become celebrities by presenting cookery advice and demonstrations, usually through the media of television and radio, or in Books, printed publications. While telev ...

and author based in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. He was a semi-finalist on

Food Network Canada Food Network is a Canadian exempt discretionary specialty channel owned by Rogers Sports & Media. Based on the U.S. cable network of the same name, It broadcasts programming related to food, cooking, cuisine, and the food industry. History ...

's ''

Top Chef Canada ''Top Chef Canada'' is a Canadian reality competition television series. The show premiered on April 11, 2011, on Food Network Canada (now Flavour Network). The first season consisted of 13 episodes, with 16 contestants vying for a grand prize o ...

'', a judge on ''

Chef in Your Ear ''Chef in Your Ear'' is a Canadian cooking competition television series, that premiered on Food Network Canada on August 31, 2015.Chopped Canada ''Chopped Canada'' is a Canadian reality cooking competition series that was broadcast by Food Network Canada from 2014 to 2017. It was a Canadian adaptation of the U.S. '' Chopped'' franchise. In May 2017, it was reported that the series had bee ...

''. He was also featured on

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's ''Restaurants on The Edge'' as the culinary expert on

Caribbean cuisine Caribbean cuisine is a fusion of West African cuisine, West African,"Cuisine."
(Caribbean.
Kingston, Jamaica Kingston is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long spit (landform), sand spit which connects the town of Por ...

. He moved to

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in 2003 to live with his grandmother, where he attended high school and played football. He was introduced to the

culinary arts Culinary arts are the cuisine arts of food preparation, cooking, and presentation of food, usually in the form of meals. People working in this field – especially in establishments such as restaurants – are commonly called chefs or ...

by his grandmother who was a former chef in their native country of

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

. After her untimely passing, he then moved to

Ontario, Canada Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

Career

Forte studied culinary arts at

George Brown College The George Brown College of Applied Arts and Technology is a public, fully accredited college (Canada), college of applied arts and technology with three campuses in downtown Toronto (Ontario, Canada). Like many other colleges in Ontario, George ...

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

. Upon graduating, he pursued entrepreneurship and became the executive chef at Gangster Burger and Rock Lobster, one of the co-founders of Dirty Bird Chicken & Waffles and founder of AF1 Caribbean. He has also worked internationally as a private chef and culinary

consultant A consultant (from "to deliberate") is a professional (also known as ''expert'', ''specialist'', see variations of meaning below) who provides advice or services in an area of specialization (generally to medium or large-size corporations). Cons ...

. In August 2020, he appeared as a guest chef at

Café Boulud Café Boulud is a French restaurant located at 100 East 63rd Street on the Upper East Side in Manhattan, in New York City. It is owned by French celebrity chef and restaurateur Daniel Boulud. Boulud is New York City's longest-tenured four-star ...

at the

Four Seasons Hotel Four Seasons Hotels Limited, trading as Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, is a Canadian luxury hotel and resort company headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Four Seasons currently operates more than 100 hotels and resorts worldwide.David Se ...

, where he showcased signature dishes later included in his cookbook ''Yawd''. From 2021 to 2024, Forte was based in Turks and Caicos, where he served as the in-house private chef and culinary director at Emara Estate—formerly owned by Prince—and provided culinary services for high-profile clientele. In early 2025, Forte was named executive chef of Lucia, the first fine dining modern Afro-Caribbean restaurant in Los Angeles. The restaurant received widespread media coverage for its contemporary culinary application of Caribbean traditions.

Publications

* ''Yawd: Modern Afro-Caribbean Recipes''. Penguin Random House Canada, 2022. ISBN 9780735241173.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Forte, Adrian Living people People from Kingston, Jamaica Canadian chefs Year of birth missing (living people)