Matt Adler

Coming Up

The Culinary Institute of America set the baseline for Matt Adler’s approach: kitchen discipline, pace, and the habits that hold up under service. From there, the work has been built the way many serious restaurant careers are built—through repetition, precision, and long exposure to some of the city’s most notable rooms. Since 2013, Adler has been chef of Osteria Morini, a post that sits on consistency and control. In 2021, he added chef/partner of Caruso's Grocery, taking on the added weight that comes with ownership as well as execution. The portfolio widened again in 2024. Adler also serves as chef of Cucina Morini since 2024 and holds a culinary advisory role at Altamarea Group since 2024. Read together, those roles show a chef working across service, standards, and group-level guidance, with each assignment asking for the same thing: an exact hand, a clear sense of pace, and enough experience to keep the room steady.

Where They Are Now

Breadth defines the current shape of Adler’s work. Osteria Morini remains part of the picture, Caruso's Grocery brings the partner’s responsibilities, Cucina Morini adds another kitchen, and Altamarea Group places him in an advisory position since 2024. The pattern is not expansion for its own sake. It is a career arranged around sustained output, where control matters as much as movement and where multiple rooms can still be managed with the same level of attention.

Career - Chef/Partner — Caruso's Grocery, Washington, D.C. (2021–present) - Chef — Cucina Morini, Washington, D.C. (2024–present) - Chef — Osteria Morini, Washington, D.C. (2013–present) - Culinary advisory role — Altamarea Group, New York City (2024–present) Education: Culinary Institute of America

Signature

The signatures point toward Italian-American comfort handled with restraint and finish. Matt Adler’s sfincione with stracciatella works in richness and softness without losing shape. Mozzarella in Carrozza leans familiar, but the value is in the handling—the kind of detail that keeps a classic from reading heavy. Spicy Neapolitan Ragú, Fresh Bucatini, Whipped Ricotta, and Parmesan is built in layers, and the title alone signals what the plate is trying to do: carry warmth, texture, and depth in one direct expression.

Honors

Matt Adler has received James Beard Foundation, Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic semifinalist.

FAQ Where did Matt Adler train or study? Matt Adler trained at Culinary Institute of America. What is Matt Adler known for? Southern Italian cuisine.