Notes from a Young Black Chef

Content Warning: This section references emotional and physical child abuse, drug use, gang violence, and racism.

The first chapter interweaves details of Kwame Onwuachi’s childhood and experiences with racism in the kitchen with his experience catering an elite event at the National Museum of African American History and Culture while counting down the days to opening his flagship restaurant, Shaw Bijou, at the age of 26. Onwuachi explains that the opening of a restaurant requires him to pull from every source of strength and inspiration. As a boy, he watched his mother, a caterer, cook. As a young man, he graduated from the Culinary Institute of America and gained attention with his appearance on the show Top Chef. It seems as if everything in his life has led up to this point—the opening of his restaurant on November 1, 2016.

Despite his training, Onwuachi faces many challenges. Washington, DC’s zoning laws and broken water mains are the first of many problems. The city is accustomed to expensive steakhouses owned by recognizable white chefs. Onwuachi is presenting a completely new concept: eight tables sold via nonrefundable tickets for $185 a person, not including tips or drinks. While Onwuachi rages against the stuffy traditionalism of chefs who suggest he has not yet paid his dues or earned the right to open such a restaurant, he also wonders if there is truth in the criticism.