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About
Adam Perry Lang is a classically French-trained American celebrity chef, restaurateur, and cookbook author renowned for his barbecue expertise and outdoor cooking authority. Born Adam Perry on July 4, 1969, in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in a Jewish family in Roslyn, Long Island, he adopted the surname Lang from his stepfather, allergist Dr. Paul Lang, after his parents' divorce when he was 13. He graduated with distinction from the Culinary Institute of America and gained experience in prestigious kitchens, including Le Cirque and Daniel in New York City, as well as Restaurant Guy Savoy in Paris, France. Transitioning from fine dining, he pioneered high-end barbecue in New York City by founding the acclaimed Daisy May's BBQ restaurant, where he won Grand Champion honors at the World Pork Expo, before relocating to Los Angeles, where he opened APL Restaurant, a modern steakhouse in Hollywood that closed in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. He co-founded the Barbecoa restaurant concept with Jamie Oliver in London and has authored multiple best-selling cookbooks, including 'Serious Barbecue,' 'BBQ 25,' and 'Charred & Scruffed,' while featuring recipes on his official website. Lang has conducted pop-up collaborations in Los Angeles County, including high-profile barbecue events in 2022 featuring wood-fired cooking, and maintains an active presence through social media and television appearances on shows such as 'Life of Fire,' 'All-Star Best Thing I Ever Ate,' 'Worth It,' and as a regular on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, where he has also acted as a judge on various food competitions. In the early 2000s, specifically approximately 1999-2003, Lang served as private chef to Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender and alleged sex trafficker, traveling on Epstein's private jet to various properties including his island in the U.S. Virgin Islands and ranch in New Mexico; he has publicly stated his role was limited to meal preparation and that he was unaware of Epstein's criminal activities during his employment, and has cooperated with federal investigators, including providing grand jury testimony. In 2024, unsealed court documents highlighted his travels with Epstein, and victim Virginia Giuffre publicly urged Lang to testify about what he witnessed, though no further details on the duration or related allegations have been publicly detailed beyond his cooperation. In 2017, he divorced his wife Fleur Perry (née Brenner), with whom he shares two children, Max and Noa. A 2019 swatting incident at friend Jimmy Kimmel's Hermosa Beach home led to his brief arrest, but he was cleared of all charges.