Adrienne Cheatham, a Chicago native, grew up in the restaurant industry, helping out in the kitchens her mother managed. After earning her degree in business and journalism from Florida A&M University, she pursued her culinary career, starting as a line cook and working her way up to Executive Sous Chef at the three-Michelin star restaurant Le Bernardin in New York. She later became Chef de Cuisine and Executive Chef for Marcus Samuelsson's restaurants, including Streetbird and Red Rooster. Adrienne was a finalist on season 15 of Top Chef and is the founder of SundayBest, a pop-up series in Harlem. She is also involved in promoting nutrition and healthy food for school lunch programs.