WASHINGTON DC: Chef Matt Adler Joins SRG, Alta Strada to Open Mosaic District

Schlow Restaurant Group (SRG) and Chef Michael Schlow are pleased to welcome Chef Matthew Adler, who will oversee culinary development of all Italian concepts within the group as Executive Chef, Italian Concepts. Adler will oversee Casolare and the Alta Strada restaurants in the Northeast and DC, including the newest outpost scheduled to open later this month in Fairfax, Va.’s Mosaic District. He began his new role on February 1, while Alta Strada Mosaic is scheduled to open later in the month.

Adler recently returned to the DC area after traveling for several months experiencing various cuisines across Europe, including a jaunt to Italy where he joined Schlow and other SRG staff on a food research trip. His first project with the company will be assisting with the opening of the 120-seat Alta Strada Mosaic, which will be run by Chef Nicole Belverd, a veteran of Zaytinya and the Inn at Little Washington. At Alta Strada Mosaic, designed by Edit Lab, guests will recognize signature pizzas, pastas and antipasti from its sister restaurant in Washington, DC, alongside entrees that are unique to Mosaic.

Photo from mosaicdistrict.com

After having served as Executive Chef of Altamarea’s Washington, DC outpost of Osteria Morini, Adler was recognized as one of the city’s best chefs known for serving fare from the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. With a background in fine dining, Adler’s impressive resume includes a stint at the three-starred Michelin Restaurant Alain Ducasse. He also cooked at the now-shuttered Convivio in New York City, a Southern Italian restaurant, which at the time, received a three-star review from the New York Times and had earned one Michelin star. With extensive travel through Italy, and experience in Italian restaurants, Adler is poised to work closely with Chef Schlow and the kitchen teams at the group’s Italian restaurants around the country.

“What inspired me to join Schlow Restaurant Group was Michael’s passion and love for what he does, and how he translates that to the guest experience at all of his restaurants,” Adler said. He was also attracted to the opportunity to work with multiple restaurants and chefs within the group.

“I could not be happier to welcome Matt Adler to the Schlow Restaurant Group,” said Michael Schlow. “Rocksteady and a student of all things Italian, Matt understands the need to balance tradition, art, training and commerce. Having Matt at the helm is going to make us a better restaurant group."