Chef Jenna named “Newsmaker of the Year”

2020 was an awful year for just about everyone. Hit especially hard was the restaurant industry that had to deal with so many restrictions when it came to trying to serve their customers due to the coronavius.

One local chef lead the way in helping others across West Michigan while also having to reinvent her own business to try to survive.

Jenna Arcidiacono, the chef and co-owner of Amore Trattoria Italiana in Comstock Park, was picked by the Grand Rapids Business Journal as a 2020 Newsmaker of the Year.

Just about everyone knows chef Jenna. From chatting with her customers at Amore, to being featured on local and national television -- she has become quite the local celebrity.

Last year she made national news when a west Michigan fan nominated her to be featured on Mike Rowe’s Facebook show, “Returning the Favor". Rowe surprised Chef Jenna and she received $10,000 to continue feeding frontline workers free of charge.

You can't miss Chef Jenna with her pink hair and festive attire. She even drives a hot pink Nissan Infiniti SUV and people recognize her wherever she goes in west Michigan. She opened up opened Amore with her husband Maurizio Arcidiacono in 2010.

Chef Jenna has also worked with a coalition of Grand Rapids restaurants and breweries to create the Michigan Restaurant Promise. It is a pledge that restaurants across the state of Michigan take to promote safe practices in their businesses to ensure customer safety, along with the safety of staff members and the general public.

You can read more about Chef Jenna and the Newsmaker of the Year award on the Grand Rapids Business Journal website.

Amore Trattoria Italiana is located at 5080 Alpine Avenue in Comstock Park, MI.