Chef Adam Lajara is a Bronx, New York native and personal Chef to New York Knick’s All Star forward Julius Randle. Since Adam joined the Randle’s in 2020, Julius has been named to three All Star teams, two All NBA teams and was the 2021 NBA Most Improved Player. I photographed and interviewed Adam preparing a day’s worth of meals for Julius. The goal of this project is to capture the intersection between wellness, fine dining and elite sports performance. What does it take to fuel the best basketball player in New York City? The photographs and interviews in this piece will provide an unseen peek into the nutritional strategies used by Julius and Adam to optimize rest and recovery.
Adam previously worked in New York City’s most esteemed restaurants but his transition to becoming Julius’s personal chef has transformed both of their careers. This shoot took us to the local bodega where Adam starts his day, the butcher where he procures the finest meats in the city, a local market where he sources wild caught fish, and finally the Randle’s where he prepared and served Julius a meal. This exclusive look into Chef Adam’s process reveals how Julius’s diet is strategically curated through consultation with trainers, therapists and team staff year round to ensure peak performance. While none of us may be hiring a personal chef or lacing up our sneakers to play for the Knicks this spring, a day in the life of Chef Adam provides tips all of us can employ to perform and feel our best.
