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Kwame Onwuachi

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  • James Beard Award-Winning Chef
  • Author: 'Notes from a Young Black Chef'

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Kwame Onwuachi is a James Beard Award-winning chef, bestselling author, and visionary restaurateur redefining the future of American cuisine. Hailed as TIME’s “100 Most Influential People of 2025” and The San Francisco Chronicle’s “most important chef in America,” Onwuachi’s meteoric rise from cooking in his mother’s Bronx apartment to helming acclaimed restaurants like Tatiana and Dōgon reflects his dynamic storytelling through food rooted in the African Diaspora. He is author of the critically acclaimed memoir Notes from a Young Black Chef, which is currently being adapted into a feature film. A celebrated host of the James Beard Awards, executive producer for Food & Wine, and creator of the groundbreaking culinary event The Family Reunion, he’s also a cultural force across television, publishing, and fashion. With honors from Forbes, Esquire, and The New York Times, Onwuachi continues to shape the culinary landscape with boundary-breaking concepts and an unwavering commitment to diversity, heritage, and innovation.

 

Kwame Onwuachi headshot
Past Hosts Include:
  • NYC Hospitality Alliance
  • Chef Conference
  • The Mets
  • Meta
  • CCS Dallas
  • American Express
Inside Tatiana by Kwame Onwuachi | New York’s Best New Restaurant - Get Sharable Link
Talks & Conversations with Kwame Onwuachi
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Cooking & Conversation with Kwame Onwuachi

Join James Beard Award-winning chef, restaurateur, and author KWAME ONWUACHI for an unforgettable experience that blends live cooking with powerful storytelling. As he prepares a signature dish inspired by his multicultural heritage—from Nigeria to the Bronx—Onwuachi shares the personal journey behi ...

Join James Beard Award-winning chef, restaurateur, and author KWAME ONWUACHI for an unforgettable experience that blends live cooking with powerful storytelling. As he prepares a signature dish inspired by his multicultural heritage—from Nigeria to the Bronx—Onwuachi shares the personal journey behind his culinary career, exploring themes of identity, resilience, creativity, and the power of food as a tool for cultural connection. Audiences will get a front-row seat to the flavors, stories, and influences that have shaped one of today’s most influential chefs. This interactive session invites dialogue, questions, and reflection—making it ideal for conferences, universities, corporate gatherings, and culinary events looking to nourish both mind and palate.

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Books by Kwame Onwuachi
My America: Recipes from a Young Black Chef: A Cookbook

My America: Recipes from a Young Black Chef: A Cookbook

Notes from a Young Black Chef (Adapted for Young Adults)

Notes from a Young Black Chef (Adapted for Young Adults)

Notes from a Young Black Chef: A Memoir

Notes from a Young Black Chef: A Memoir

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Press & Media
“If a dish has a story, it has a soul” – Kwame Onwuachi on Tatiana, judging Top Chef and Cosmic Brownie nostalgia - 50 Best Stories
Kwame Onwuachi’s celestial dining in DC - Fine Dining Lovers
A James Beard Award-Winning New York Chef Is Opening a Restaurant at Sahara Las Vegas - Eater
Chef Kwame Onwuachi Brings Patty Palace to a Favorite American Pastime - Ebony
Star Chef Kwame Onwuachi On Eating Around D.C. And Loving Golf - Forbes
Kwame Onwuachi Is a Whole New Kind of Celebrity Chef - The New York Times
Award-Winning Chef Kwame Onwuachi Opens a First-of-Its-Kind Steakhouse in Las Vegas - Eater
Kwame Onwuachi: “I take it one day at a time” - The Talks
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Biography

Kwame Onwuachi is a James Beard Award-winning chef, restaurateur, and author of the critically acclaimed memoir Notes from a Young Black Chef, which is currently being adapted into a feature film. His impressive career includes being named one of Food & Wine’s "Best New Chefs," Esquire Magazine’s "2019 Chef of the Year," and a "30 Under 30" honoree by both Zagat and Forbes. On top of that, he was recently announced on Time’s "100 Most Influential People of 2025" and was named the most important chef in America by the San Francisco Chronicle.

Raised in New York City, Nigeria, and Louisiana, Onwuachi’s culinary journey began in his mother’s modest Bronx apartment. He turned his early passion into a thriving career, which includes a diverse range of experiences—from working on oil cleanup ships to cooking in some of the world’s top restaurants. He trained at the Culinary Institute of America in New York City and, by the age of 30, had opened five restaurants, including the groundbreaking Afro-Caribbean eatery Kith/Kin in Washington, D.C.

In 2025, Onwuachi was selected by Anna Wintour and the Met Gala Board to curate the menu for Superfine: Tailoring Black Style. He has hosted the James Beard Awards in both 2021 and 2022 and frequently appears as a judge or talent on TV shows such as Top Chef, Chopped, Billions, and Somebody Feed Phil. Kwame is a Centurion Lounge Chef, a Lexus Culinary Master, and currently serves as an Executive Producer for Food & Wine, collaborating on major brand events like the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen.

Kwame is also the creator of The Family Reunion: Presented by Kwame Onwuachi, an annual event in Middleburg, Virginia, celebrating diversity in the hospitality industry.

In 2021, he released his first cookbook, My America: Recipes from a Young Black Chef, which features over 125 recipes inspired by the African Diaspora, including Onwuachi’s own family’s culinary history, from Nigeria and the Caribbean to the South and the Bronx.

Onwuachi’s restaurant, Tatiana, opened at Lincoln Center in November 2022, honoring his New York roots and the culinary legacy of the African Diaspora. Since its debut, Tatiana has received multiple accolades, including being named the "#1Restaurant in New York" by The New York Times for two consecutive years and “The One to Watch” by World’s 50 Best Restaurants. In the summer of 2024, Onwuachi partnered with Salamander DC to open Dōgon, a restaurant inspired by the Mali-based African tribe of the same name, which pays tribute to Benjamin Banneker, a descendant of the tribe who played a key role in Washington, D.C.’s early design. Within six months, Dōgon earned a spot as #2 on Washingtonian’s list of Best Restaurants in D.C., and was just included on Condé Nast Traveler’s Best New Restaurants in the World: 2025 Hot List.

Onwuachi’s most recent venture, Patty Palace by Chef Kwame, is now open within the Hudson Whiskey Club and Clover Home Plate Club at Citi Field. A food truck will also debut the concept at Lincoln Center’s Summer for the City in June. Later this year, Onwuachi will expand his restaurant portfolio to Miami with Las’Lap at The Daydrift and to the West Coast with his first concept in partnership with SAHARA Las Vegas.

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