Pro Business Channel

Usher's New Look, No Longer Bound and Auditory-Verbal Center on NonProfits Radio

Careshia Moore
Organization / Company Name: 
Usher's New Look

Careshia Moore is an advocate and educator who has a heart for inspiring others to reach their potential. She mentors leaders, facilitates workshops, designs educational products and connects people with others and opportunities to promote personal success through education. In her roles as an Attorney, Educator and most currently, President & CEO for Usher’s New Look she has always worked on behalf of providing access, opportunity and exposure of underserved youth.

Careshia is active in her community through membership on boards such as Communities in Schools of Henry County and United Way Advisory Board, a certified Aggression Replacement Trainer and a mentor to young girls. She is also the founder of League of Women Entrepreneurs, a networking group that seeks to empower, educate and elevate women in business. In recognition of her dedication to the community and her passion for encouraging and inspiring others, in 2013, she was named as one of Southern Journal Magazine’s Top 14 under 40.

Careshia earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Education and Juris Doctor degree from University of Florida. She shares her thoughts and experiences regarding education, parenting and success on her blog Compete to Succeed and is the President and Founder of Compete to Succeed Educational Resources, an entity that creates resources that promote positive parenting and student success.

Careshia is married to her husband of 16 years, and they are the proud parents of one son and one daughter. The Moore family recently co-authored a children’s book, Mikaela the Koala.

Brief Description of Your Service:
Usher's New Look (UNL) is a 501(c)(3) organization on a mission to transforms lives of underserved youth through our 10-year comprehensive program that develops passion-driven, global leaders. In 1999, Usher Raymond IV established an organization to give marginalized and underserved youth a “New Look” on life. UNL prepares young people for success and leadership through a programmatic model based on four essential pillars: talent, education, career, and service. UNL’s developmentally appropriate curriculum helps young people identify their TALENTS, learn to focus their passions through EDUCATION, gain opportunities to explore a future CAREER, and give back to their communities through SERVICE.

UNL’s curriculum is predicated on the Search Institute’s building blocks, which represent the relationships, opportunities and personal qualities young people need to succeed and thrive. To date, UNL has trained over 42,000 youth from marginalized communities providing skills and tools necessary to succeed in school, career and life. Utilizing a peer-to-peer training model, UNL has increased high school graduation rates, post-secondary pursuits, and developed well-rounded, forward-thinking leaders. In 2016, Usher’s New Look successfully served over 4,000 youth. And, we are extremely proud that 100% of our academy high school seniors continue to graduate on time! Usher’s New Look will train approximately 5,000 students in 2016.

Topics to Discuss: 
Story of Usher's New Look
Mission
Impact
Upcoming events

Web Site and Social Media Links: 
www.ushersnewlook.org
@ushersnewlook (All platforms)



Bethany Monroe
Organization / Company Name: 
No Longer Bound 

Bethany Monroe, age 33, has worked for No Longer Bound for 2 years as Store Manager of their second thrift store location in Woodstock, Georgia.

Brief Description of Your Product or Service:

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/pro-business-channel--2662314/support.

Usher's New Look, No Longer Bound and Auditory-Verbal Center on NonProfits Radio

Careshia Moore

Organization / Company Name:

Usher's New Look

Guest BIO:

Careshia Moore is an advocate and educator who has a heart for inspiring others to reach their potential. She mentors leaders, facilitates workshops, designs educational products and connects people with others and opportunities to promote personal success through education. In her roles as an Attorney, Educator and most currently, President & CEO for Usher’s New Look she has always worked on behalf of providing access, opportunity and exposure of underserved youth.

Careshia is active in her community through membership on boards such as Communities in Schools of Henry County and United Way Advisory Board, a certified Aggression Replacement Trainer and a mentor to young girls. She is also the founder of League of Women Entrepreneurs, a networking group that seeks to empower, educate and elevate women in business. In recognition of her dedication to the community and her passion for encouraging and inspiring others, in 2013, she was named as one of Southern Journal Magazine’s Top 14 under 40.

Careshia earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Education and Juris Doctor degree from University of Florida. She shares her thoughts and experiences regarding education, parenting and success on her blog Compete to Succeed and is the President and Founder of Compete to Succeed Educational Resources, an entity that creates resources that promote positive parenting and student success.

Careshia is married to her husband of 16 years, and they are the proud parents of one son and one daughter. The Moore family recently co-authored a children’s book, Mikaela the Koala.

Brief Description of Your Service:

Usher's New Look (UNL) is a 501(c)(3) organization on a mission to transforms lives of underserved youth through our 10-year comprehensive program that develops passion-driven, global leaders. In 1999, Usher Raymond IV established an organization to give marginalized and underserved youth a “New Look” on life. UNL prepares young people for success and leadership through a programmatic model based on four essential pillars: talent, education, career, and service. UNL’s developmentally appropriate curriculum helps young people identify their TALENTS, learn to focus their passions through EDUCATION, gain opportunities to explore a future CAREER, and give back to their communities through SERVICE.

UNL’s curriculum is predicated on the Search Institute’s building blocks, which represent the relationships, opportunities and personal qualities young people need to succeed and thrive. To date, UNL has trained over 42,000 youth from marginalized communities providing skills and tools necessary to succeed in school, career and life. Utilizing a peer-to-peer training model, UNL has increased high school graduation rates, post-secondary pursuits, and developed well-rounded, forward-thinking leaders. In 2016, Usher’s New Look successfully served over 4,000 youth. And, we are extremely proud that 100% of our academy high school seniors continue to graduate on time! Usher’s New Look will train approximately 5,000 students in 2016.

Topics to Discuss:

Story of Usher's New Look

Mission

Impact

Upcoming events

Web Site and Social Media Links:

www.ushersnewlook.org

@ushersnewlook (All platforms)

Bethany Monroe

Organization / Company Name:

No Longer Bound

Bethany Monroe, age 33, has worked for No Longer Bound for 2 years as Store Manager of their second thrift store location in Woodstock, Georgia.

Brief Description of Your Product or Service:

No Longer Bound serves men who struggle with addiction. We are a twelve month regeneration program that is supported mainly by industries, which include our thrift stores, and are a part of the men's recovery program. Our industries make it possible for men to pay only a third of what it would actually cost them to go through such a...

From Boy Scouts to The Citadel, Life-Long Principles, Processes and Discipline that Drive Success. Damon Edmondson on Capitol Club Radio.

Join Michael Flock as he interviews Damon Edmondson. Damon is the Chief of Analytics at FLOCK Specialty Finance based in Atlanta, Georgia, a growing finance company that provides access to capital beyond the traditional banking system to underserved markets and assets classes. Damon discusses how the principles, processes and discipline he learned as a Boy Scout, at military school and at The Citadel helped him launch his successful career. He brings out personal and professional experiences to illustrate how he shares his analytical knowledge with FLOCK clients to help them grow their businesses successfully.

Prior to joining FLOCK, Damon was Senior VP of Analytics at Eltman, Eltman & Cooper Capital Management where he oversaw the analysis and reporting of the financial performance of purchased portfolios. Additionally, he was the Senior Director of Portfolio Administration at Outsourcing Solutions, Inc. for the Portfolio Services Division. He started his career at ValuJet Airlines as a Senior Analyst of Pricing.

Damon earned a BA degree from The Citadel. He has spent decades as a volunteer leader for the Boy Scouts of America in various duties and he currently serves on the Atlanta Area Council Strategic Planning Committee, Assistant Council Commissioner and as a Crew Advisor. He and his wife reside in Atlanta and are the proud parents of three sons, all of whom achieved the rank of Eagle Scout.

Here is a glimpse of what Damon shared in the interview.

“…it’s those sorts of people who take you under their wing, and mentor you and help you to see that learning self-discipline, self-control, thinking through things before you react emotionally to something, and always looking at the overall mission is something that you’re looking for.”

“The key thing, I think, is that as you go through those steps, that you respect the process, and whatever the answer is, is whatever the answer is.”

“So, you need to stick to your guns and have the courage of your convictions to hold true.”

“which is the nature of the Eagle Scout project. To learn to be trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent…”

Connect with Damon on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/damonedmondson




Capital Club Radio
Hosted by: Michael Flock
Sponsored by: Flock Specialty Finance

Providing a forum for leaders in the middle market segment which has typically been undeserved by traditional banking.

Listeners gain valuable business insights and perspectives to deal with market uncertainty. Topics include: key success factors, both personal and professional, dealing with adversity, outlook for the industry and your business.


For more info about Michael Flock and Flock Specialty Finance visit:
http://www.FlockFinance.com

To listen to more episodes visit:
http://www.CapitalClubRadio.com

To nominate or submit a guest request visit:
http://www.OnAirGuest.com

To view more photos visit:
http://www.ProBusinessPictures.com

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/pro-business-channel--2662314/support.

From Boy Scouts to The Citadel, Life-Long Principles, Processes and Discipline that Drive Success. Damon Edmondson on Capitol Club Radio.

Join Michael Flock as he interviews Damon Edmondson. Damon is the Chief of Analytics at FLOCK Specialty Finance based in Atlanta, Georgia, a growing finance company that provides access to capital beyond the traditional banking system to underserved markets and assets classes. Damon discusses how the principles, processes and discipline he learned as a Boy Scout, at military school and at The Citadel helped him launch his successful career. He brings out personal and professional experiences to illustrate how he shares his analytical knowledge with FLOCK clients to help them grow their businesses successfully.

Prior to joining FLOCK, Damon was Senior VP of Analytics at Eltman, Eltman & Cooper Capital Management where he oversaw the analysis and reporting of the financial performance of purchased portfolios. Additionally, he was the Senior Director of Portfolio Administration at Outsourcing Solutions, Inc. for the Portfolio Services Division. He started his career at ValuJet Airlines as a Senior Analyst of Pricing.

Damon earned a BA degree from The Citadel. He has spent decades as a volunteer leader for the Boy Scouts of America in various duties and he currently serves on the Atlanta Area Council Strategic Planning Committee, Assistant Council Commissioner and as a Crew Advisor. He and his wife reside in Atlanta and are the proud parents of three sons, all of whom achieved the rank of Eagle Scout.

Here is a glimpse of what Damon shared in the interview.

“…it’s those sorts of people who take you under their wing, and mentor you and help you to see that learning self-discipline, self-control, thinking through things before you react emotionally to something, and always looking at the overall mission is something that you’re looking for.”

“The key thing, I think, is that as you go through those steps, that you respect the process, and whatever the answer is, is whatever the answer is.”

“So, you need to stick to your guns and have the courage of your convictions to hold true.”

“which is the nature of the Eagle Scout project. To learn to be trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent…”

Connect with Damon on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/damonedmondson

Capital Club Radio

Hosted by: Michael Flock

Sponsored by: Flock Specialty Finance

Providing a forum for leaders in the middle market segment which has typically been undeserved by traditional banking.

Listeners gain valuable business insights and perspectives to deal with market uncertainty. Topics include: key success factors, both personal and professional, dealing with adversity, outlook for the industry and your business.

For more info about Michael Flock and Flock Specialty Finance visit:

http://www.FlockFinance.com

To listen to more episodes visit:

http://www.CapitalClubRadio.com

To nominate or submit a guest request visit:

https://www.OnAirGuest.com

To view more photos visit:

http://www.ProBusinessPictures.com

Rob Garf, VP of Industry Strategy and Insights for Salesforce on Georgia Business Radio

Joining us today is Rob Garf, VP of Industry Strategy and Insights for Salesforce Commerce Cloud here to discuss predictions for retail shopping.

I've sat on all sides of the retail table -- as practitioner (Lids, Marshalls, Hit or Miss), industry analyst (AMR Research), strategy consultant (IBM), and software leader (Demandware).

I'm currently a VP at Salesforce where I lead Industry Strategy and Insights for the Retail team. I get to work with execs at leading brands and upstarts from around the world on unified engagement strategies.

 

 

 

* Love writing, speaking, and participating on retail boards.
* Lead a team that provides market intelligence, consumer insights, and business value analysis to influence product strategy and develop thought leadership.
* Develop and maintain strategic framework to evolve and articulate product vision, strategy, and roadmap.
* Conduct primary and secondary research to gain insights on industry opportunities, competition, market size, and portfolio expansion.
* Develop and maintain sales tools and methodologies to substantiate business value.
* Chair Client Advisory Board (CAB) that consists of leading retailers from around the world.

Q & A:

Q: More orders are expected this year from phones and tablets than from computers?
A: For the first time during the holiday season, shoppers will place more orders from their phones than computers or tablets.

Q: AI based products, how they are expected to drive holiday revenue this year?
A: AI will be huge, with AI-based product recommendations driving 35 percent of all holiday revenue.

Q: When are most people expected to do their shopping this year?
A: Black Friday will be the top digital shopping day of the season again, capturing 10 percent of the season’s revenue, while Cyber Monday will net eight percent of sales.

Q: Which social media platforms will most influence shopping behavior?
A: Instagram

Q: How do personalized experiences affect the way people shop?
A: Consumer preferences overall, such as their preference to buy from purpose-driven brands and retailers that value customer service.

Q: How does Salesforce know?
A: It powers leading retail brands like adidas, Puma, Coca-Cola, DVF, Lacoste and many others, and it has been able to make these prediction based on insights from 500M shoppers across the globe.

 

Where can we go for more information?

Learn more at:  https://www.salesforce.com/solutions/industries/retail/overview

Connect with Rob on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-garf-224395




Georgia Business Radio Interviewing industry and thought leaders with compelling stories. Relevant content on current business trends live from the Pro Business Channel studios in Atlanta. In addition to the live broadcast, content is distributed across multiple syndicated platforms with more than 500,000 downloads.

Show Host:
Rich Casanova, Chief Visionary Officer
Pro Business Channel

Rich Casanova began his broadcasting career in California’s central valley at KSKS-FM. While in California he also ran a successful entertainment company whose staff and crew entertained over 100,

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/pro-business-channel--2662314/support.

Rob Garf, VP of Industry Strategy and Insights for Salesforce on Georgia Business Radio

Joining us today is Rob Garf, VP of Industry Strategy and Insights for Salesforce Commerce Cloud here to discuss predictions for retail shopping.

I've sat on all sides of the retail table -- as practitioner (Lids, Marshalls, Hit or Miss), industry analyst (AMR Research), strategy consultant (IBM), and software leader (Demandware). 

I'm currently a VP at Salesforce where I lead Industry Strategy and Insights for the Retail team. I get to work with execs at leading brands and upstarts from around the world on unified engagement strategies.

Love writing, speaking, and participating on retail boards.

Lead a team that provides market intelligence, consumer insights, and business value analysis to influence product strategy and develop thought leadership.

Develop and maintain strategic framework to evolve and articulate product vision, strategy, and roadmap.

Conduct primary and secondary research to gain insights on industry opportunities, competition, market size, and portfolio expansion.

Develop and maintain sales tools and methodologies to substantiate business value.

Chair Client Advisory Board (CAB) that consists of leading retailers from around the world.

QUESTIONS:

Q: More orders are expected this year from phones and tablets than from computers?

A: For the first time during the holiday season, shoppers will place more orders from their phones than computers or tablets.

Q: AI based products, how they are expected to drive holiday revenue this year?

A: AI will be huge, with AI-based product recommendations driving 35 percent of all holiday revenue.

Q: When are most people expected to do their shopping this year?

A: Black Friday will be the top digital shopping day of the season again, capturing 10 percent of the season’s revenue, while Cyber Monday will net eight percent of sales.

Q: Which social media platforms will most influence shopping behavior?

A: Instagram

Q: How do personalized experiences affect the way people shop?

A: Consumer preferences overall, such as their preference to buy from purpose-driven brands and retailers that value customer service.

Q: How does Salesforce know?

A: It powers leading retail brands like adidas, Puma, Coca-Cola, DVF, Lacoste and many others, and it has been able to make these prediction based on insights from 500M shoppers across the globe.

Where can we go for more information?

Learn More: https://www.salesforce.com/solutions/industries/retail/overview

Connect with Rob: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-garf-224395

Georgia Business Radio Interviewing industry and thought leaders with compelling stories. Relevant content on current business trends live from the Pro Business Channel studios in Atlanta. In addition to the live broadcast, content is distributed across multiple syndicated platforms with more than 500,000 downloads.

Show Host:

Rich Casanova, Chief Visionary Officer

Pro Business Channel

Rich Casanova began his broadcasting career in California’s central valley at KSKS-FM. While in California he also ran a successful entertainment company whose staff and crew entertained over 100,000 people. After moving to Atlanta and selling his entertainment company, Casanova ventured into publishing as the Publisher and Franchise Owner of Coffee News, headquartered in Bangor, ME.

Later became the Founder and CCO, Chief Connection Officer, of an online platform where local business professionals register to receive a free list of the top 100 networking events in metro Atlanta.

With a name like Casanova and his gregarious personality, Rich was a natural as a music radio DJ. "I got the radio bug early in my career and often thought how great it would be if there was an opportunity to participate in a talk radio format with a pro-business perspective interviewing thought leaders from the local business community." Thus was born the Pro Business Channel where Rich is the...

Kitchen Tune-Up Franchisee Kseniya Conniff on Franchise Business Radio

Kseniya Conniff
Kitchen Tune-Up, Franchisee


Brief Description of Product or Service:
Kitchen Tune-Up specializes in 1-5 day kitchen updates. Ask us about 1 Day Wood Restoration, cabinet refacing & re-dooring, custom cabinets + design and much more.

Topics to Discuss:
Our story
Products and services
Industry trends

 

Web Site / Linkedin / Social Media Links:
https://www.kitchentuneup-atlanta-sandysprings.com/
https://www.facebook.com/KTUAtlantaBuckheadSandySprings/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/kitchen-tune-up-franchise-system/
https://www.pinterest.com/ktuofficial/
https://twitter.com/KitchenTuneUp
https://www.instagram.com/kitchentuneup/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kseniya-conniff-0481235b




The Franchise Business Radio show is a platform to bring together franchise professionals and resources to connect, educate, and collaborate to serve the franchise community and the franchise consumer. Spotlighting Leaders in the Franchise Industry, experts in funding, legal, marketing and consulting.

Franchise Business Radio hosted by:
Pam Currie, Founder
Franchise Intellect

Made possible in part by: Franchise Intellect, visit: www.FranchiseIntellect.com

To nominate or submit a guest request visit: www.OnAirGuest.com

To view guest photos from this show, visit: www.ProBusinessPictures.com



 

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/pro-business-channel--2662314/support.

Kitchen Tune-Up Franchisee Kseniya Conniff on Franchise Business Radio

Kseniya Conniff

Kitchen Tune-Up, Franchisee

Brief Description of Product or Service:

Kitchen Tune-Up specializes in 1-5 day kitchen updates. Ask us about 1 Day Wood Restoration, cabinet refacing & re-dooring, custom cabinets + design and much more.

Topics to Discuss:

Our story

Products and services

Industry trends

Web Site / Linkedin / Social Media Links:

https://www.kitchentuneup-atlanta-sandysprings.com/

https://www.facebook.com/KTUAtlantaBuckheadSandySprings/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/kitchen-tune-up-franchise-system/

https://www.pinterest.com/ktuofficial/

https://twitter.com/KitchenTuneUp

https://www.instagram.com/kitchentuneup/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kseniya-conniff-0481235b

The Franchise Business Radio show is a platform to bring together franchise professionals and resources to connect, educate, and collaborate to serve the franchise community and the franchise consumer. Spotlighting Leaders in the Franchise Industry, experts in funding, legal, marketing and consulting.

Franchise Business Radio hosted by:

Pam Currie, Founder

Franchise Intellect

Made possible in part by: Franchise Intellect, visit: http://www.FranchiseIntellect.com

To check out more episodes visit: http://www.FranchiseBusinessRadio.com

To view guest photos from this show, visit: http://www.ProBusinessPictures.com

To nominate or submit a guest request visit: http://www.OnAirGuest.com

Chef Jamie Adams with il Giallo Osteria and Bar on Food and Beverage Radio

Chef Jamie Adams 
il Giallo Osteria & Bar

The youngest of five children born in Atlanta, Jamie Adams was intrigued by every aspect of Italian culture - from its cars to its language; from its people to its food. His passion for Italian cuisine was fueled by his mother, a native of New Orleans and fabulous cook in her own right. To this day, Jamie’s fondest memories are of cooking in the kitchen with his mother, or at relatives’ homes and kitchens in New Orleans, where his family visited regularly.

While studying music, biology, and English literature at Georgia State University, Adams simultaneously worked for The Mad Italian Restaurant in Atlanta. It was here that he realized his profound appetite for the restaurant business: the desire to immerse himself into Italian cuisine and great hospitality began to smolder.

Fanning these flames was the fact that his siblings, who had traveled to Italy, came home with stories of meals they had enjoyed in quaint Italian towns. These stories and his love for Italian cuisine led him to create his own Italian adventure. “In 1985, I found myself in the Mestre train station with a 200 Lire Gettone in my hand, hoping against hope that someone on the other end could speak English,” reflects Adams. “Thus began an almost five year stint that was supposed to only be one. I went on to find and work in many of the places that I had heard so many stories about and I made friendships and connections that forever changed the course of my life,” he recalls.

Upon returning to Atlanta, Adams received several offers to cook in the city’s top Italian kitchens, but immediately knew that working at Pricci (then Cappriccio), the Italian crown jewel of the Buckhead Life Restaurant Group, was the perfect setting for his talents. Adams impressed owner Pano Karatassos, by making several pasta dishes from scratch just like his time in Italy at several Michelin starred restaurants. He was given the title of Sous Chef and thus began a more than 20 year relationship with Pano and his prestigious restaurant group.
In 1993, the company took over Veni Vidi Vici and Adams was named Executive Chef. The restaurant was formerly owned by one of the gran dames of Italian cuisine, Marcela Hazan, coincidentally, one of Adams’ most profound culinary influencers.

Adams left BLRG for a short while, when he opened the boutique restaurant, ENO in Midtown Atlanta. In addition to an economic downturn, during this time, Adams was as he refers to it, “the lucky recipient of Coronary Artery Bypass Grafts, fondly referred to as “Cabbage-CABG,” also known as a quadruple bypass. After taking some time off to recuperate, as a compliment to the long-time, mutually respectful business relationship between Pano and Adams, the Chef was asked to rejoin the Veni Vidi Vici team.

While at Veni Vidi Vici, Adams realized that he and restaurant General Manager, Leonardo Moura, shared a mutual desire to create and run their own Italian restaurant. Adams and Moura shared their dream with Pano Karatassos, and it was decided that Veni Vidi Vici would close, enabling the pair to open their own restaurant. In creating il Giallo Osteria and Bar (meaning both yellow and mystery in Italian), the passion and experience Adams obtained in Italy will fuse together in this Coastal Italian restaurant in the upscale Sandy Springs neighborhood.
Adams has been a featured chef at The James Beard House in New York, competed in The Food Network’s “Chopped,” selected to participate in a TBS-TV “Super Chef Cook Off”, and was highlighted on “Great Chefs of the South, and “The Best Thing I Ever Ate.” In addition to building a loyal following and maintaining his great health as an avid cyclist, Chef Adams is exceptionally proud of his fundraising efforts for many organizati...

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/pro-business-channel--2662314/support.

Chef Jamie Adams with il Giallo Osteria and Bar on Food and Beverage Radio

Chef Jamie Adams

il Giallo Osteria & Bar

The youngest of five children born in Atlanta, Jamie Adams was intrigued by every aspect of Italian culture - from its cars to its language; from its people to its food. His passion for Italian cuisine was fueled by his mother, a native of New Orleans and fabulous cook in her own right. To this day, Jamie’s fondest memories are of cooking in the kitchen with his mother, or at relatives’ homes and kitchens in New Orleans, where his family visited regularly.

While studying music, biology, and English literature at Georgia State University, Adams simultaneously worked for The Mad Italian Restaurant in Atlanta. It was here that he realized his profound appetite for the restaurant business: the desire to immerse himself into Italian cuisine and great hospitality began to smolder.

Fanning these flames was the fact that his siblings, who had traveled to Italy, came home with stories of meals they had enjoyed in quaint Italian towns. These stories and his love for Italian cuisine led him to create his own Italian adventure. “In 1985, I found myself in the Mestre train station with a 200 Lire Gettone in my hand, hoping against hope that someone on the other end could speak English,” reflects Adams. “Thus began an almost five year stint that was supposed to only be one. I went on to find and work in many of the places that I had heard so many stories about and I made friendships and connections that forever changed the course of my life,” he recalls.

Upon returning to Atlanta, Adams received several offers to cook in the city’s top Italian kitchens, but immediately knew that working at Pricci (then Cappriccio), the Italian crown jewel of the Buckhead Life Restaurant Group, was the perfect setting for his talents. Adams impressed owner Pano Karatassos, by making several pasta dishes from scratch just like his time in Italy at several Michelin starred restaurants. He was given the title of Sous Chef and thus began a more than 20 year relationship with Pano and his prestigious restaurant group.

In 1993, the company took over Veni Vidi Vici and Adams was named Executive Chef. The restaurant was formerly owned by one of the gran dames of Italian cuisine, Marcela Hazan, coincidentally, one of Adams’ most profound culinary influencers.

Adams left BLRG for a short while, when he opened the boutique restaurant, ENO in Midtown Atlanta. In addition to an economic downturn, during this time, Adams was as he refers to it, “the lucky recipient of Coronary Artery Bypass Grafts, fondly referred to as “Cabbage-CABG,” also known as a quadruple bypass. After taking some time off to recuperate, as a compliment to the long-time, mutually respectful business relationship between Pano and Adams, the Chef was asked to rejoin the Veni Vidi Vici team.

While at Veni Vidi Vici, Adams realized that he and restaurant General Manager, Leonardo Moura, shared a mutual desire to create and run their own Italian restaurant. Adams and Moura shared their dream with Pano Karatassos, and it was decided that Veni Vidi Vici would close, enabling the pair to open their own restaurant. In creating il Giallo Osteria and Bar (meaning both yellow and mystery in Italian), the passion and experience Adams obtained in Italy will fuse together in this Coastal Italian restaurant in the upscale Sandy Springs neighborhood.

Adams has been a featured chef at The James Beard House in New York, competed in The Food Network’s “Chopped,” selected to participate in a TBS-TV “Super Chef Cook Off”, and was highlighted on “Great Chefs of the South, and “The Best Thing I Ever Ate.” In addition to building a loyal following and maintaining his great health as an avid cyclist, Chef Adams is exceptionally proud of his fundraising efforts for many organizations that are important to him, including Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry and Moving in the Spirit, among...