Born November 11, 1989, Kwame Onwuachi () is a Nigerian-American chef based in New York City, New York. A published author and restaurateur, he also appeared as a contestant on ''Top Chef'' (season 13) in 2015. He was recognized by ''

Food & Wine ''Food & Wine'' is an American monthly magazine published by Dotdash Meredith. It was founded in 1978 by Ariane and Michael Batterberry. It features recipes, cooking tips, travel information, restaurant reviews, chefs, wine pairings and season ...

'' magazine, ''

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'' magazine, and the

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as "Rising Star Chef of the year" in 2019.

Early life and education

Born on Long Island in New York, Onwuachi spent most of his childhood growing up in

The Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

. Having a tough childhood, at the age of 10, his mother sent him to live with his grandfather in

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

for two years so that he could “learn respect.” Although unhappy with the decision at the time, Kwame credits this trip to inspiring his early love for African cuisine. Onwuachi was expelled from several schools for behavioral issues and eventually graduated from Bronx Leadership Academy high school, a public charter school in the city. After graduation, he enrolled at the

University of Bridgeport The University of Bridgeport (UB) is a private university in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The university is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education. In 2021, the university was purchased by Goodwin University; it retain its own n ...

, but he was later expelled for administrative issues involving dealing and using illegal drugs.

Career

Early career

After his expulsion, Onwuachi moved in 2010 to live with his mother in

Baton Rouge, Louisiana Baton Rouge ( ; ) is a city in and the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. Located the eastern bank of the Mississippi River, it is the parish seat of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana's most populous parish—the equivalent of counties i ...

, where he was hired to cook on a boat serving crews cleaning up the

Deepwater Horizon oil spill The ''Deepwater Horizon'' oil spill (also referred to as the "BP oil spill") was an industrial disaster that began on 20 April 2010 off of the coast of the United States in the Gulf of Mexico on the BP-operated Macondo Prospect, considered ...

. Reintroduced to his love of cooking, he returned to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

that November, waiting tables at

Tom Colicchio Thomas Patrick Colicchio (; born August 15, 1962) is an American celebrity chef. He co-founded the Gramercy Tavern in New York City, and formerly served as a co-owner and as the executive chef. He is also the founder of Crafted Hospitality, whic ...

's ''Craft'' before opening his first business, a catering service called Onwuachi's Coterie Catering. In 2012, Onwuachi enrolled at

The Culinary Institute of America The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) is a private culinary school with its primary campus in Hyde Park, New York, and branch campuses in St. Helena and Napa, California; San Antonio, Texas; and Singapore. The college, which was the first t ...

Hyde Park, New York Hyde Park is a town in Dutchess County, New York, United States, bordering the Hudson River north of Poughkeepsie. Within the town are the hamlets of Hyde Park, East Park, Staatsburg, and Haviland. Hyde Park is known as the hometown of Frankl ...

. During culinary school, Onwuachi worked an externship at

Thomas Keller Thomas Aloysius Keller (born October 14, 1955) is an American chef, restaurateur, and cookbook author. He and his landmark Napa Valley restaurant, The French Laundry in Yountville, California, have won multiple awards from the James Beard Founda ...

’s three Michelin-starred restaurant,

Per Se Per se may refer to: * ''per se'', a Latin phrase meaning "by itself" or "in itself". * Illegal ''per se'', the legal usage in criminal and antitrust law * Negligence ''per se'', legal use in tort law *Per Se (restaurant) Per Se is a New Ameri ...

. After graduating from the C.I.A with an Associate’s Degree in Culinary Arts, he received a job as a line cook at David Humm’s renowned NYC-based restaurant,

Eleven Madison Park __NOTOC__ Eleven Madison Park is a New American fine dining restaurant located inside the Metropolitan Life North Building at 11 Madison Avenue in the Flatiron District of Manhattan, New York City. It has retained 3 Michelin stars since 2012 ...

. In 2015, Onwuachi accepted an opportunity to compete on Bravo’s culinary TV show, '' Top Chef: California''. Placing sixth overall, Onwauchi became popular with the fanbase and received widespread recognition within the media for his unique story and culinary talent. In 2021, Kwame returned to the Top Chef Kitchen, this time as a guest judge for Season 18.

Restaurant career

In November 2016, Onwuachi opened his own restaurant in a converted townhouse in the

Shaw Shaw may refer to: Places Australia *Shaw, Queensland Canada *Shaw Street, a street in Toronto England *Shaw, Berkshire, a village *Shaw, Greater Manchester, a location in the parish of Shaw and Crompton *Shaw, Swindon, a List of United Kingdom ...

neighborhood of Washington, D.C., called the ''Shaw Bijou'', serving a 13-course tasting menu. The reviews were mixed, and critics questioned whether it was worth the price. After two months, Onwuachi scaled back the menu and reduced prices to better align with customer desires, but the primary investor closed the restaurant in January 2017. In late 2017, Onwuachi was hired to open a restaurant in the new

InterContinental Hotel Intercontinental is an adjective to describe something which relates to more than one continent. Intercontinental may also refer to: * Intercontinental ballistic missile, a long-range guided ballistic missile * InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG ...

on D.C.'s

Southwest Waterfront The Southwest Waterfront is a mostly residential neighborhood in Southwest Washington, D.C. The Southwest quadrant is the smallest of Washington's four quadrants, and the Southwest Waterfront is one of only two residential neighborhoods in the qu ...

. He named it "Kith and Kin", serving Afro-Caribbean cuisine influenced by his family ties to Louisiana, Jamaica, Trinidad, and Nigeria. The restaurant received positive reviews from credible organizations like ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' and the ''

Michelin Guide The Michelin Guides ( ) are a series of guide books that have been published by the French tyre company Michelin since 1900. The Guide awards up to three Michelin star (classification), stars for excellence to a select few establishments. The ac ...

''. In July 2020, Onwuachi resigned his position at Kith and Kin to focus on pursuing his goal of owning his own restaurant. In November 2022, Onwuachi achieved this goal by opening his restaurant, Tatiana, in NYC’s

Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 millio ...

. Echoing his own personal journey, the restaurant once again offers a fusion between flavors of the Caribbean, Africa, and the American South—serving dishes like short rib pastrami suya and a “black truffle ‘chopped cheese.’” Within its first 6 months, Tatiana has received positive recognition from the media, including complementary reviews from reputable outlets such as ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', ''

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'', and ''Food & Wine'' Magazine.

Publication career

In 2019, Onwuachi and Joshua David Stein co-published Onwuachi’s first book, ''Notes from a Young Black Chef''. The memoir details his tumultuous journey from joining a local gang as a teen to climbing to the top of the fine-dining world. The book was positively received by the public and praised by notable public figures including American musician

Questlove Ahmir Khalib Thompson (born January 20, 1971), known professionally as Questlove (stylized as ), is an American musician, record producer, disc jockey, filmmaker, music journalist, and actor. He is the drummer and joint frontman (with Black Thou ...

and restaurateur,

Jose Andres Jose is the English transliteration of the Hebrew and Aramaic name ''Yose'', which is etymologically linked to ''Yosef'' or Joseph. The name was popular during the Mishnaic and Talmudic periods. *Jose ben Abin *Jose ben Akabya *Jose the Galilean ...

. In May 2022, Onwauchi and Stein published a follow-up book titled, ''My America: Recipes from a Young Black Chef''.Knoblauch, Mark. "My America: Recipes from a Young Black Chef." ''Booklist'', vol. 118, no. 13, 2022, pp. 10, https://www.booklistonline.com/Notes-from-a-Young-Black-Chef-By-Kwame-Onwuachi-and-Joshua-David-Stein/pid=9713518My America: Recipes from a Young Black Chef
/ref> In cookbook format, the publication follows Kwame’s culinary journey, but this time through the lens of recipe collection. From Nigerian jollof, Puerto Rican red bean sofrito, and Trinidadian channa curry to Louisiana jambalaya, smoked baby back ribs, and red velvet cake, the book reflects Onwuachi’s diverse culinary background. In February 2021, Onwuachi joined ''Food & Wine'' magazine as Executive Producer.

Awards

''Food & Wine'' magazine named Onwuachi one of its Best New Chefs in 2019. In the same year, the

named Onwuachi their “Rising Star Chef of the Year,” joining a prestigious list of past award winners including

Christina Tosi Christina Tosi (born 1981) is an American chef and cookbook author. She is founder and co-owner with Momofuku of Milk Bar and serves as its chef and CEO. ''Food & Wine'' magazine included her in their 2014 list of "Most Innovative Women in Food ...

David Chang David Chang (Korean: ; born August 5, 1977) is an American restaurateur, author, podcaster, and television personality. He is the founder of the Momofuku restaurant group. In 2009, Momofuku Ko was awarded two Michelin stars, which the restaur ...

, and

Marcus Samuelsson 25 January 1971) is an Ethiopian-born Swedish-American celebrity chef, restaurateur and television personality. He is the head chef of Red Rooster in Harlem, New York. Early life and education Kassahun Joar Tsegie was born in Ethiopia. His fat ...

. ''

'' named Onwuachi its Chef of the Year for 2019, identifying Kith and Kin as one of the Best New Restaurants in America. Onwuachi has also been honored by both Forbes and Zagat as a member of their 30 under 30 lists, recognizing young leaders in their respective fields.Jacques Pépin Foundation. "Cook with Jacques and Friends: Kwame Onwuachi ." ''Jacques Pépin Foundation.'' 2022. Web. Apr 12, 2023 https://members.jp.foundation/chefs/kwame-onwuachi

Publications

* *

References

External links

Notes from a Young Black Chef (Penguin Random House/Knopf)

My America: Recipes from a Young Black Chef (Penguin Random House/Knopf)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Onwuachi , Kwame Living people 1989 births People from the Bronx American chefs Top Chef contestants James Beard Foundation Award winners American people of Nigerian descent African-American chefs 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American people