Adam Howard

Executive Chef

A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Chef Adam Howard got his culinary chops from some of the world’s best teachers at the prestigious school. Hospitality, however, was instilled in him decades earlier spending time around the kitchen table at his family’s southern farm. 

Well-known for his years at the helm of the Foggy Bottom stalwart, Blue Duck Tavern, earning a Michelin star along the way, Howard began his career in New York City. Starting at the Beacon Restaurant before moving on to become event chef for Danny Meyer’s off-premise catering company, the young chef was later introduced to fine dining at the distinguished, and at the time, private Trustees Dining Room at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The Alabama native went on to work as an executive chef in Charleston, South Carolina returning to his Southern roots. Recruited for the kitchen at Jaleo by the notable chef, José Andrés, in 2009 Adam Howard settled in Washington, D.C. It would be his next job as Corporate Chef for Bryan Voltaggio Restaurants, that his leadership skills and organization would shine as he opened several restaurants over a couple of years including one in Mumbai, India.

Chef Adam Howard’s deep appreciation for local sourcing and quality ingredients, stemming from his grandparents’ farm and his grandmother’s scratch cooking, is a perfect match for 1789 Restaurant and their long-standing relationship with Mid-Atlantic farmers. 

As Executive Chef of 1789, Fitzgerald’s, and The Tombs, Adam oversees the menus, culinary team, and kitchen operations at all three restaurants.