Kwame Onwuachi

Kwame Onwuachi was born on Long Island, New York, in 1989. He spent his early years in the Bronx, as well as two years in Nigeria with his grandfather, which he credits with teaching him discipline. His childhood also included time in Louisiana. After being expelled from the University of Bridgeport, he relocated to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in 2010, where he worked as a cook on a boat supporting the Deepwater Horizon oil spill cleanup efforts. This experience reignited his passion for cooking, leading him to New York City later that year, where he worked at Tom Colicchio’s Craft. In 2012, Onwuachi enrolled at The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. During his time there, he completed an externship at Per Se and, upon graduating with an Associate’s Degree in Culinary Arts, he worked as a line cook at Eleven Madison Park.

Onwuachi’s career advanced with his participation in Bravo’s ‘Top Chef: California’ in 2015, where he placed sixth. In November 2016, he opened his first restaurant, Shaw Bijou, in Washington, D.C. Despite critical acclaim for his vision, the restaurant faced challenges and closed in January 2017. Undeterred, he opened Kith and Kin in late 2017, focusing on Afro-Caribbean cuisine inspired by his heritage. He resigned from Kith and Kin in July 2020 to pursue new ventures. His memoir, ‘Notes from a Young Black Chef,’ co-published with Joshua David Stein in 2019, chronicled his journey and received critical recognition. A follow-up cookbook, ‘My America: Recipes from a Young Black Chef,’ was released in May 2022.

November 2022 saw the opening of Tatiana in New York City’s Lincoln Center, which quickly earned the title of “#1 Restaurant in New York” by The New York Times for two consecutive years. In September 2024, Onwuachi opened Dōgon in Washington, D.C., an establishment celebrating Black and Afro-Caribbean culinary traditions, which was named among the 50 best restaurants in the United States by The New York Times in September 2025. He also launched Chef Kwame’s Patty Palace in Citi Field and has plans to expand his restaurant portfolio with Las’Lap in Miami and a concept at SAHARA Las Vegas. Onwuachi was named a Food & Wine’s Best New Chef, Esquire Magazine’s 2019 Chef of the Year, a 30 Under 30 honoree by both Zagat and Forbes, and recognized on Time’s 100 Most Influential People of 2025.