Adam Lambay

There was never any question in Adam Lambay’s mind that he would someday be a chef. In fact, when Adam was about 10 years old, he told his mother he wanted to be “one of those guys in a white coat.” She thought he meant he wanted to be a doctor. He quickly corrected her saying, “No! I want to be a chef!” His early goal clearly set, Adam’s dream never changed. His entire career has been dedicated to culinary arts, and today he is executive chef at the Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark, with a storied resume of positions at highend restaurants throughout Greater St. Louis, Missouri and the surrounding area. A native of St. Louis, Adam only left his hometown once to attend culinary school in Louisville, Kentucky. Upon graduation, he returned to St. Louis, the community he loves, and where he plays a vibrant role as a chef, cooking instructor, and busy husband and father to two children. Adam’s family has lived in the St. Louis community for more than 50 years. His father’s brothers first emigrated from the family home located in a fishing village near Mumbai, India. Adam’s dad soon followed, eager to do something new and to be near his brothers. He quickly met and married, Adam’s mother, the grand-daughter of first generation German immigrants. Upon arriving in St. Louis between World Wars I and II, Adam’s great-grandparents opened a successful bakery in downtown St. Louis. At home, Adam’s dad cooked recipes based on his Indian upbringing, while his maternal grandmother prepared family recipes based on her German heritage. Adam says public television played a major role in his desire to become a chef. He grew up watching cooking shows, saying he could never get enough. He credits Julia Child and other culinary hosts as great influences, and says the series “Yan Can Cook!” (at more than 40 years, the longest-running cooking show on television!) was a favorite. Martin Yan, one of the chefs on this year’s Create Cooking Challenge judges’ panel, commented that he not only thought Adam presented a “good video all around,” but that he also “demonstrated good technical skills and did a good job in presenting the recipe for his dish.” In fact, several of the judges commented on the great job that Adam did in engaging the viewer in his video. Diane Kochilas mentioned that the personal stories were “nice” and offered a “human touch,” while Nick Stellino said he was impressed at “how well” Adam taught viewers. Pati Jinich repeatedly praised how well Adam walked the viewer through an Indian dish, “describing it in familiar terms so we all know what he is talking about.” She also was impressed by how knowledgeable he is about all the ingredients he uses. She and Kevin Belton both said they can’t wait to try his recipe, which is called Moka with Pupper: described by Adam as “scrambled eggs with an Indian twist.” Adam is committed to focusing his CreateTV.com digital series on “Indian-inspired” recipes representing a sort of “fusion with recipes that are more familiar to the standard diner.” He says they will not be overly “hot,” and instead will make use of spices and aromatics to make each dish more accessible to the average home cook.