Henry Adaniya
Restaurateur, Restaurant Strategist and Hot Dog Aficionado
Henry Adaniya, most noted as owner of the high regarded Trio restaurant in Chicago, Illinois, has recently made a dramatic career change by moving to Honolulu, Hawaii. Over the past twelve years of presenting innovative cuisine he has become known throughout the business as an important developer of extraordinary chefs. It's an appellation he accepts with understated modesty. But that wasn"t his intention; it's just the way it happened. Having developed four high profile culinary teams, he has come to accept his destiny.
By the time Adaniya began his extraordinary legacy at Trio restaurant, he had already made a mark for himself through his twenty-five years of restaurant experience. He started out as a cook at Cafe Figaro in the late 1970's. In 1980 he joined the service staff at Chicago's formidable Ambria, serving as captain and assistant sommelier. It was there that Adaniya developed his understanding of the delicate balance necessary between food, wine, service and ambiance in order to make the dining experience extraordinary. After Ambria he went to Cafe Provençal in Evanston where, as Maitre d", he worked with chef/owner Leslie Ries to build a national reputation for this unique restaurant. The close and inspiring relationship with Ries was very formative. Two years followed at another Evanston restaurant, Va Pensiero, where in a mere three months it became rated one of the top twenty-five restaurants in the Chicago area. Here he fine-tuned his prodigious skill as a restaurant operator and developed a vision for his own restaurant.
In 1993 he got the opportunity to open his own restaurant, in the space formerly occupied by Cafe Provençal. His goal for the new restaurant was to find a highly creative, talented chef who was raising the bar with innovative culinary ideas and who had a deep passion for the art of cooking. He found this in savory/pastry duo Rick Tramonto and Gale Gand who had recently returned from London and were looking for a place to call home. He hired them and, under his tutelage, Trio quickly became a showplace for extraordinary leading-edge cuisine and opened the industry to realize a new vision of food presentation. Adaniya gave Tramonto and Gand the freedom to develop their culinary ideas while he focused on creating a restaurant that offered a superlative experience in all respects. After two years and having received much acclaim, Tramonto and Gand left Trio to open their own restaurant, Brasserie T. Now, several years later, they are partners at four-star TRU in Chicago and both have earned prestigious James Beard Foundation awards.
It was then a natural transition to place talented sous chef Shawn McClain into the spotlight position. With McClain creating culinary magic and Adaniya continuing to provide the leadership and savvy to improve on his already impressive accomplishments, Trio continued to receive national acclaim for its innovative, cutting edge fusion cuisine, exceptional service and overall excellence.
Inevitably, in 2001 rising star McClain left Trio to open his own Chicago restaurant, Spring, which quickly received national awareness. McClain was named chef of the year in 2002 by Esquire magazine. McClain's second restaurant, Green Zebra, has also received widespread recognition.
Adaniya's reputation for spawning the country's finest chefs continued to grow. By the year 2001, being appointed chef at Trio was considered a major milestone in any chef's career and was worthy of national attention. He again sought out a fine, innovative young chef to head his kitchen.
Adaniya chose young culinary wizard Grant Achatz as the next person to wear the Trio toque. In 2003, Achatz earned national distinction when he was named the James Beard Foundation's Rising Star Chef. Achatz rapidly built a reputation for creating some of the most transcendent cutting edge cuisine in the United States. His avant-garde approach to food and presentation set him apart from nearly every other chef. The Trio reputation for food excellence grew even further, while Adaniya continued to lead the way, fine tuning the Trio experience and galvanizing a team that was fiercely loyal and appreciative of his talent and leadership. In 2004, Trio became one of only thirteen restaurants in the United States to receive a Mobil five-star rating. His talent as a restaurateur was unquestionably confirmed. Perhaps even more importantly, all of the chefs and former chefs at Trio unanimously agreed that their growth as culinary artists and their enormous success were due in large part to Adaniya's intelligent guidance at a formative stage in their career.
It was with a sense of confidence that Adaniya chose to take Trio on a very different path when the inevitable again happened. Achatz announced he was leaving Trio to open his own restaurant, which will be launched in 2005. Adaniya simply said to Achatz, "You"re ready; I"m happy for you, congratulations." Adaniya recognized that after three remarkable chapters in the life of Trio, there were no mountains left to climb. He had climbed them, and through his journey he had seen a different way to approach his restaurant.
"I had always put the chef first at Trio" said Adaniya. "The restaurant had been driven by the culinary vision and predilections of the chef. I had always made sure that Trio put no obstacles in the way of the chef. The ambiance, style and attitude of the restaurant were a direct reflection of the chef's culinary style." He would find another creative and highly talented chef who shared Adaniya's vision. He had gotten to know a remarkable young Chicago chef, Dale Levitski, who had turned heads with his creative and soulful bistro-style cooking. What struck Adaniya about Levitski was that his creative direction came from the emotional, intuitive side. Levitski wanted to create food that people could readily understand and emotionally connect with. Rather than offering his guests another exhilarating avant-garde culinary adventure, Adaniya decided that it was time for everyone to relax—just a bit, anyway—and not take everything quite so seriously.
Two years later the voice that had been constant since childhood became more insistent, the new relaxed approach to food was appealing and it was time to make good on another dream. The decision was made to move to Hawaii and open a hot dog stand on the beach.
So why such a bold move? It is in part historical. In 1940 his father, Wallace Adaniya, took over the concession at the east end of Waikiki Beach in Kapiolani Park. He operated the Beach Grill until the land was reclaimed by the city in 1954 to build the Aquarium which stands there today. Several months later Wallace departed with his family to the mainland. Shortly thereafter, having relocated in Los Angeles, Henry Adaniya was born. Henry was eventually to grow up in Chicago and later in 1993 open one of the nation's most celebrated restaurants. Now some sixty-six years later Henry is returning to his roots.
Adaniya's new vision is a gourmet hot dog stand called Hank's Haute Dogs that has already swept Honolulu foodies off their feet. It is in part of a family history being reborn in Hawaii. Hank's set precedence as an innovative dining concept by creating a food concession of impeccable quality, creativity and service. It has become a destination eatery, which is nothing new to Adaniya's acclaimed past.
Adaniya's new direction is really quite appropriate, when one gets to know him. He is funny, personable, hip and one of the most brilliant anti-intellectuals one will ever meet. He certainly is knowledgeable about food and wine—so much so that chefs say it's scary— yet he has passed that period in his life in where it played center stage. Yet his passion for excellence still persists and so he continues to offer his expertise as a consultant to the industry. His company, Visions Realized, gives operators the insight of Adaniya's articulate knowledge of fine dining and his principled approach of excellence.
Adaniya is wise enough to understand that few restaurateurs would change course when they're at the top of their game. "I am just a creative type. I"m inspired by new directions and new ideas. I"ve grown accustomed to change and found that every chapter deepens the story and enriches my life as a restaurateur." No one doubts him, for one thing is certain: Adaniya's focus is on his own vision and that vision has always been very clear. He moves to his own rhythm and so far, that rhythm has taken him—and some very, very talented people—a long, long way.