Antoine Duane Calaway was born on April 20, 1971 to the union of George and LaBelle Calaway in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He received his formal education in the Milwaukee and Wauwatosa public school systems. He attended grammar school at Milwaukee Montessori School and graduated from Wauwatosa West High School. Antoine continued his education at Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) and later attended culinary schools in Minnesota and Chicago, Illinois.