This article originally appeared in the Fall/Winter 2023-2024 print issue of Quench Magazine.

“If a dish tells a story, it has a soul,”

says James Beard Award-winning American chef Kwame Onwuachi. The first time I read Notes from a Young Black Chef, Onwuachi’s inspirational memoir (co-written with Joshua David Stein) was during one of the COVID-19 lockdowns of 2020. Touching on the intersectionality of his identity shaped by his upbringing in New York City, Nigeria, and Louisiana, the former Top Chef season 13 contestant intimately lays out every bump of a life guided by food.

Now barely 34, Onwuachi is making an even bigger splash with the arrival, in November 2022, of Tatiana in Lincoln Center. Deeply influenced by the multitude of cultures that make up the tapestry of New York, his first NYC joint is the #1 ranked hotspot in the city, according to The New York Times.

We spoke with Onwuachi about his must-try recipes from his debut cookbook, My America: Recipes from a Young Black Chef, what to expect from his first New York restaurant, how he’s evolving as a leader, and why it’s okay to fail.

After cooking in high-end French restaurants, why did you want to take things back to your cultural roots when launching your own restaurants?

You don’t know where you’re going unless you know where you came from. It’s always important to reach back for inspiration for the future. I was able to get rigorous training, then revert to what I know is great, which is the food of my people and the blue-collar generation or group of people. That workforce really makes this nation what it is.

Which recipes from your cookbook, My America, do you hope our readers try?

I hope they try the Nigerian red stew, egusi soup, curried goat, Mom Duke’s shrimp, oxtails, and the piri piri salad—all those are great representations of Afro-Caribbean cuisine. People will find the roots of a lot of dishes they love in African and Caribbean cuisine.

What are some of your go-to pantry items?

Probably house spice, like a Creole spice blend that we put on everything. My mom would make it and keep it within arm’s reach. It’s pretty much an all-purpose seasoning that has a lot of familiar flavours in it—from garlic to cayenne and paprika. I put a little Worcestershire powder in it for acidity. Then pepper sauce, which is a fresh hot sauce. So, scotch bonnet or habanero peppers with garlic and some sort of pickling liquid like vinegar solution. My grandfather used to make it—he’s from Trinidad—and it’s always on the table. He used to send it to everyone in the family. A small jar would last pretty much a year because it is really hot!

Tell us about the concept and inspiration behind Tatiana.

Tatiana is a celebration of the people that make New York City what it is—it’s my love letter to New York City. I grew up in the Bronx, and in that one-block radius, you could have so many different cultures that thrive together. I took inspiration from my childhood and things that I really enjoyed eating. What I feel defines New York City cuisine is the people that built this city.

What can people expect from the dishes you are serving at Tatiana?

We make oxtail and crab Rangoon with mushroom jus, braised oxtails with coconut-scented rice and peas, curry goat patties, and we even have a trip to the bodega, which is like a cosmic brownie with a powdered donut ice cream. Sometimes we have chopped cheese on the menu, which is like a corner store staple sandwich, but we make it with truffles and dry-aged ribeye and taleggio on brioche. You’ll see a lot of fun influences and even a nod to the Asian culture here. We have dumplings but stuffed with that egusi soup from my book. There are a lot of different plays on things that don’t feel convoluted, it really sings, and I believe it makes sense. Everything is important here—from the music to the silverware to the food that goes out.

At the age of 23, you opened and closed Shaw Bijou after six weeks. What lessons did you hold onto this time around with Tatiana?

Just having a team-orientated establishment: taking care of us first and, most importantly, having fun. We work too hard not to have fun with what we do, so that was important to me this time around, and not take ourselves too seriously— we’re just cooking dinner. We put a lot of emphasis on the craft, but we don’t lose ourselves. We don’t take that baggage home with us. We’re very, very professional in what we do, and we like to have fun, and that’s important. It’s how we treat each other. The checking in, making sure we’re treating people like human beings.

Was naming the new restaurant after your sister extra pressure?

It added intention more than pressure. I [was] opening a restaurant in New York City; that’s pressure enough. It was more about honouring my family, preserving that authenticity, and moving with intentionality—that’s why I named it after her.

You recently received the #1 restaurant in the city nod from The New York Times. How does such high praise feel?

It feels really great to be recognized by the city, the country and even across the ocean. I’m so proud of the team here because it doesn’t happen without them. When you create something, you don’t know how people [will] receive it. It always starts as an idea in your head; when you get recognition, it’s just a bonus. We do it for the people that come in day in and day out. We do it for our staff. We do it for our ancestors.

What has the reaction to Tatiana been from those in the community?

I had somebody in here from the Bronx the other day. They came from the same neighbourhood I grew up in, and to have them so proud was one of the highlights of my day. Having someone that knows where I come from—which is rough, especially back then, growing up—be so proud and inspired by what I’m doing means the world to me. That’s what we do it for. Restaurants are a cornerstone of the community for many reasons, but it’s where people gather if they’re mourning, meeting for the first time, [or] celebrating. I’m very grateful that we get a chance to host that every night here.

In your memoir, you speak about the discrimination and abuse you’ve experienced throughout your culinary career. Opening Shaw Bijou, you had a vision for changing that culture. 10 years on, what type of leader are you becoming?

I’m learning every day. I think the more you know, the more you realize you don’t know. I’m still developing into the leader I want to be. I try to treat people the way I like to be [treated], talk to people the way I like to be [spoken] to and be direct. When I make a mistake, [I] apologize for that. Every day we’re all learning, so I’m learning. I still feel young in my career, and I feel like I have a long way to go.

Why did you want to publish a young edition of Notes from a Young Black Chef? What words of advice do you have for those entering the industry?

The reason I want younger people to read it is so that they know that it’s okay to fail, you know? It’s okay to try something they’ve never done before. Whatever you want in life takes hard work: there’s no linear path, no easy or one lane to success. It looks different for different people, so find your definition of it. My advice is to focus on your craft first and foremost (in whatever you do), and you’ll be more successful. Don’t be afraid to put in that hard work. Don’t do things just for likes. Do it because it means something to you—and have more intention in what you’re doing.

In the past, you said America might not be ready for a young Black chef. Do you think that has changed?

I hope so, and if not, they better get ready because a whole bunch of us are coming in, finding our voice, and getting opportunities. Tatiana is a beacon of light for other up-and-coming chefs of colour—and chefs in general—[to show] we can open a space that’s very authentically us and a place that generally doesn’t have something like this in it. Hopefully, more people will invest in and give chances to us and our food.

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Aman Dosanj is a former footballer who made history as the first British Asian to represent England at any level. Now she is known for her ability to educate, connect and tell stories through The Paisley Notebook’s pop-up dinner series in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley in Canada, and more recently as a freelance journalist.