Staten Island native and Florida resident Chef Robyn Almodovar knows how to give you “A Party in Your Mouth”. With her half Puerto Rican, half Italian background, Chef Almodovar’s childhood was filled with culture, vibrancy and a deeply ingrained passion for food. By age three, Chef Robyn was rolling meatballs alongside her grandmother for Sunday’s Gravy. That was a beloved tradition Chef Almodovar and her nanny shared for years.
Chef Robyn Almodovar started working in a bakery at the age of 15 and had no idea that her passion would be in the culinary industry. In 2005 Almodovar graduated from the Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Atlanta and relocated to Fort Lauderdale, Florida to begin her apprenticeship as banquet cook at The Hyatt Regency Pier 66, a Four Diamond Hotel. This was a real eye opener for Chef Almodovar and she realized it was her passion.
Throughout her career, Almodovar has methodically mastered every position in the kitchen. From Line Cook to Executive Chef at Jeff’s Beach House Grill in Fort Lauderdale Florida, Chef Almodovar kept cooking. Mixing it up again, in 2008 Chef Almodovar took to the high seas and became the Executive Chef of the 172’ yacht, Lady Windridge.
Realizing that she missed the “heat” in the kitchen, Chef Almodovar decided to share her time on the yacht, so she could truly pursue her new goals and desires. While following her dreams, Chef Almodovar honed her skills at several of South Beach’s culinary icons including The Forge and Danny Devito's Devito South Beach before obtaining an Executive Sous Chef position at the Royal Palm Hotel. This is when Robyn was cast for FOX’s Hell’s Kitchen Season 10 and finished as a Top Finalist.
In 2011, with confidence and tenacity to strike out on her own, Almodovar purchased a 24’ food truck and founded “Palate Party”, a fresh, mobile food café that utilizes locally sourced and sustainable ingredients. Palate Party was the first female-owned, non-dessert food truck in South Florida and it’s the only truck with a custom stage built on top for live entertainment, dancing and musical performances.
Palate Party and Palate Party POP were both huge successes. In 2013, Miami New Times voted Palate Party the Best Food Truck in Miami as well as 3rd Best Food Truck in South Florida by Sun Sentinel. It was then, after Almodovar’s 3rd year as a “food trucker” she decided to purchase a 2nd food truck called Palate Party POP.
In the fall of 2014, Almodovar was again cast on a new Food Network television series called Food Truck Face Off, which premiered on October 2nd. In each of the 13 episodes, hosted by Chef Jesse Palmer, four teams present their unique food truck concepts to at panel of expert culinary judges. Chef Almodovar was selected as Guest Judge for 3 episodes representing the Miami Food Truck industry.
In July and August of 2015, Chef Robyn Almodovar competed and won both of Food Network’s competition television shows CHOPPED and Cutthroat Kitchen. Chef Robyn Almodovar was also a contestant in July 2015 on Camp Cut Throat which is a tournament style camping trip that consisted of wilderness sabotages.
In September of 2015. Almodovar was a contestant on CHOPPED Impossible which was also a tournament style entertainment show where the winner competed against renowned Chef Robert Irvine. It is her flair, passion and competitive edge that keeps Chef Robyn Almodovar at the top of her game and driving South Florida into the next culinary wave.
Chef Almodovar will continue to strive as a culinary Brand Ambassador sharing her excitement, bold flavors and old school jive. She feels that as long as you have local purveyors who have the same passion for the best foods, she can give anyone “A Party in Your Mouth”.
Best of the Best Broward/Palm BEach New Times- Readers Choice 2016
Cutthroat Kitchen Winner- "Food Network- Food truck" 8/15/2015
CHOPPED Winner- "Food Network: Tendon Intentions" 7/7/2015
Food Network Judge- "Food Truck Face Off"
Best Of the Best Miami New Times 2013 - Best Food Truck
FOX Hell's Kitchen Season 10 "Top Finalist"
Top 30 Taste Makers of Broward County by Broward New Times 2013 Chef Robyn Almodovar
Top 40 Under 40 Gold Coast Magazine 2013 - Chef Robyn Almodovar
Fabulous Five Female Chef's Flavors of Fort Lauderdale 2012 Chef Robyn Almodovar
Iron Fork Champion 2012 Chef Robyn Almodovar of Palate Party
Sun Sentinel G.T.E Street Food Truck Rumble- Best Food
Food Truck Wars 2 Altamonte Springs Florida- Best Food
Al Gusto Homestead Food Truck Basket- First Place
