Latest news with #Onwuachi
Eater
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Eater
Award-Winning Chef Kwame Onwuachi Opens a First-of-Its-Kind Steakhouse in Las Vegas
Chef Kwame Onwuachi — a James Beard Award winner, Top Chef champion, and the force behind New York's acclaimed Tatiana — is heading to Las Vegas. His next project: a first-of-its-kind steakhouse on the Strip that draws from his Afro-Caribbean heritage while shaping the city's next wave of chef-driven dining. The Sahara announced that Onwuachi's newest restaurant, Maroon, will open at the resort in late 2025. Unlike his acclaimed New York restaurant Tatiana — twice named the best in the city by The New York Times and his Dōgon restaurant in Washington, D.C., Maroon is a wholly new concept — a Caribbean steakhouse that embraces Jamaican cooking, including jerk cooking methods, with Las Vegas's unique brand of showstopping steakhouses. Fittingly, Maroon will open in the space currently occupied by chef José Andrés's Bazaar Meat — which is closing and reopening at the Venetian Resort this year. Maroon takes its name from the Maroons of Jamaica — enslaved Africans who escaped bondage and created self-sufficient communities in Jamaica's Blue Mountains. In his book, My America: Recipes from a Young Black Chef, Onwuachi writes, 'There they lived a hardscrabble existence, eking out a life from subsistence farming and occasional raids on the British occupiers.' It was in that rugged terrain, he explains, that Jamaican pepper, Thai bird chili, wild thyme, and a breed of wild hog thrived. 'Jerk was born, and it lives still two hundred years later,' he writes. At Maroon, Onwuachi's menu will feature live-fire cooking, jerk rubs, dry-aged cuts, scotch bonnet-infused sauces, grilled seafood, and sides that draw on West African, Jamaican, and Creole traditions, according to Travel and Leisure. It will echo the Afro-Caribbean influences seen at Tatiana — where curried goat patties and braised oxtails take center stage — and at Dōgon, his D.C. restaurant with dishes like curry-brushed branzino, charbroiled oysters, and grilled wagyu short rib with red stew jam. The restaurant is a first for Las Vegas — a Black-owned Strip restaurant that puts diasporic flavors front and center, telling a story that's as personal as it is universal. Its bold vision and Onwuachi's star power add momentum to a growing wave of out-of-town talent bringing fresh ideas to the Strip — like Simon Kim's Korean steakhouse, Cote, and Jeremy Ford's tasting menu stunner, Stubborn Seed. It's no surprise that Onwuachi is leaning into big ideas with Maroon. He was named as one of Time 's 100 Most Influential People of 2025; he acted as the culinary lead of the 2025 Met Gala, where he curated a menu infused with Caribbean flavors; and he is one of the subjects of Netflix's Chef's Table seventh season. In 2023, the World's 50 Best awarded Tatiana as the One to Watch. In 2019, the San Francisco Chronicle called Onwuachi 'the most important chef in America,' the same year he won the James Beard Award for Emerging Chef. Maroon marks a major moment for the Sahara, a resort on the quieter north end of the Strip. Its last headline-grabbing restaurant debut was Shawn McClain's Balla in 2022. Now, with Onwuachi's arrival — and newcomers like Stubborn Seed at Resorts World, and Mother Wolf and Kyu at the Fontainebleau — the north end is quickly becoming one of the Strip's most exciting culinary frontiers. Sign up for our newsletter.
Eater
20-05-2025
- Business
- Eater
Chef Kwame Onwuachi Is Bringing His Jamaican Patties to Union Square
The state of New York food halls is in flux with so many shutters and overhauls, yet upcoming food halls don't seem to be deterred by other location's bad news. A forthcoming Union Square food hall with momentum from its Dumbo location is banking on a big-name chef to help bolster its roster: Chef Kwame Onwuachi is going to roll out a second location of his new fast-casual Jamaican patty shop Patty Palace at Time Out Market's upcoming food hall at 124 East 14th Street, near Third Avenue, opening in the fall. Fresh off Onwuachi's Met Gala appearance and cooking gig, the chef confirms that he'll be expanding Patty Palace via DM. He debuted the fast-casual stand earlier this spring, inside of the New York Mets' stadium Citi Field with a single item: the curried chicken patty with coco bread. The Manhattan food hall stand will have additional dishes — potentially classic beef patties and jerk mushroom iterations — as well as his sparkling water brand Miri. Time Out Market's tentative vendor list for Union Square was publicized by EV Grieve per Community Board 3's committee meeting about liquor licensing applications. Seven food vendors will open in the space. The market's questionnaire indicates there are plans for 219 indoor seats, live music and DJs, an outdoor backyard dining area, and a own bar serving alcoholic drinks. The company's list of potential and aspirational food vendors includes Onwauchi, funnily categorized as a 'media darling.' This will be Time Out's second New York food hall (and 11th overall with locations around the world. The publication also plans on opening in seven other unnamed cities through 2027. Eater has reached out for more information. This Union Square address was previously another food hall, Urbanspace Union Square, which opened in 2022 and closed this past March. The other Urbanspace locations throughout the city underwent a name rebranding in 2024. But also it's actually reopening its Union Square Night Market on Thursday, May 29, taking over the park on most Thursdays and Friday evenings in the summer through mid-October. —Melissa McCart contributed to this report Sign up for our newsletter.
Tatler Asia
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Tatler Asia
What a Met Gala dinner looks like with chef Kwame Onwuachi
Above Fresh flowers adorned the setting, taking inspiration from "Untitled (Sky)", a painting by Cy Gavin (Image: Denise Stephanie) The tablescape was also more than just decor, but acted as an extension of the theme. Working hand in hand with Onwuachi, the decor was inspired by Cy Gavin's painting 'Untitled (Sky)', and a daffodil field located in upstate New York. Combining mythology, flowers, and celestial elements, the goal was to create a soulful environment that matched the culinary excellence being portrayed. Hand-glazed plates, vintage cutlery, and over 7,000 narcissus flowers all tied together with food and fashion for a seamless storytelling experience. In case you missed it: Met Gala 2025: From Alicia Keys to Jennie, the celebrities who understood the assignment Above Chef Kwame Onwuachi walks the red carpet (Image: Eater NY) The evening's seated dinner unfolded under Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour's long-established culinary edicts: no chives, onions, and garlic: 'Well, those are three things I'm not particularly fond of.' Wintour states. An anti-messy appetiser rule is strongly enforced too, with foods such as bruschetta not allowed to avoid potential outfit mishaps and stains. Onwuachi responded with ingenious flavour building, offering a first course of Papaya Piri Piri, made with Persian cucumbers, seasonal grapes, toasted almonds. Paired with Maison Noir 'Oregogne' Chardonnay, a mineral, fruity wine to start off the night. Above Chef Kwame Onwuachi sneakily snaps a picture of the menu served to guests at the Met Gala (Image: @chefkwameonwuachi) Above The behind-the-scenes of service (Image: @chefkwameonwuachi) Followed with a Creole Roasted Chicken with a lemon emulsion, hot sauce, with rice and peas. This comforting meal was accompanied by Cornbread with Honey Curry Butter, BBQ Greens with beef bacon and nasturtium. It was served with Phil Long 'Reserve' Cabernet Sauvignon. For dessert, Onwuachi dug deep into his New York roots and brought about a Bodega Special to the most coveted night in fashion—a Cosmic Brownie powdered sugar doughnut mousse—a popular dessert item from Tatiana, and an elevated nod to the corner store nostalgia that perfectly encapsulates his knack for remixing food traditions. Above The menu of the evening (Image: @lagavi_official) What distinguishes Onwuachi's approach is his ability to transform fine dining while honouring cultural authenticity. His Met Gala menu wasn't simply 'elevated' soul food or Caribbean cuisine; it was a thoughtful exploration of how food, like fashion, carries cultural meaning and memory. The chef's mission to create an 'edible anthology of the diaspora' mirrored the exhibition's celebration of Black style through history. Both recognised that sophistication isn't about erasing cultural origins, but rather, celebrating them with precision, care and contemporary vision. Above The elegant portrayal of the Black diaspora culture, through elevated cuisine on a global stage (Image: Denise Stephanie) In a space where exclusivity reigns supreme, Onwuachi's menu offered something surprisingly inclusive: a culinary language that spoke simultaneously of grandmothers' kitchens and Michelin-starred technique, of corner stores and haute cuisine. It reminded the fashion world's most influential figures that true style—whether in clothing or cuisine—tells a story of identity, heritage, and the remarkable journey from everyday to extraordinary.
Vogue
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Vogue
What's for Dinner at the 2025 Met Gala?
For the 2025 Met Gala, the food needed to be just as fine as the fashion itself—which is why Vogue asked James Beard Award-winning chef Kwame Onwuachi to create this year's menu. 'I was inspired by Black dandyism and the Black experience in fashion—it's pulled from so many different avenues and routes of the diaspora,' says Onwuachi, whose critically acclaimed restaurant, Tatiana, was named as the best in New York City by The New York Times. 'I wanted to encapsulate all of that, from the hors d'oeuvres to plated dinner at the gala.' But most importantly? It needed to be delicious. 'We can be poetic as we want, but it has to be good at the end of the day,' Onwuachi says. At cocktail hour, waiters passed around elevated soul food on silver trays: think hoecakes with crispy chicken, mini chopped cheeses, cornbread topped with caviar, as well as curry chicken patties. (The latter is a twist on Tatiana's famous curried goat chicken patties.) Just after 8 p.m, dinner began in the Temple of Dendur with a first course of papaya piri piri salad—a celebration of the famous South African spice—alongside cucumbers doused in a Caribbean green seasoning marinade. For dinner, waiters served creole roasted chicken with lemon emulsion, rice and peas, and a fresh hot sauce. Meanwhile, BBQ collard greens with bacon and cornbread with honey curry butter were offered as a sides. Then came the sweet final touch: a 'Bodega Special Cosmic Brownie' with a powdered sugar donut mousse as well as a golden cake with honey sweet cream and blistered gooseberry. 'All throughout the meal, there are different aspects of blackness throughout the world represented at the highest level,' he says. Guests like Pharrell Williams and Janelle Monáe enjoyed it all while sitting next to the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Temple of Dendur. A painting by Cy Gavin—'Untitled (Sky)'—was projected in the grand room. All of this was surrounded by a set made to look like elaborate cabinetry one would see at London suit shop, complete with sconces from Ysaac de la Puente at Lionsgate Antiques NY.'The idea was to really create a very sophisticated English tailor,' the Met Gala's event planner, Raúl Àvila, tells Vogue. (The concept is a nod to the origin of Black dandyism, which the author of Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Identity pinpoints to 18th-century England.) A memorable dinner, indeed.
Daily Mail
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Met Gala 2025 chef teases menu
The Met Gala is one of the most highly-anticipated events of the year. For the public, it's a time to role play as fashion experts, judging celebrities for their outfits on one of the biggest nights of fashion. But for the celebs who attend, the Met Gala doesn't just end at at the red carpet - there's an entire event tied to the exhibit that is featured at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. And though the general public doesn't know too much about what goes on behind closed doors, we do sometimes get little tidbits about what happens at the Met Gala - including details about the dinner. When it comes to the garlic, onions, and chives, Wintour revealed that they're simply foods she's not too fond of - and if you're the person running the Met Gala, your food preferences will probably be taken into consideration. As for the bruschetta and parsley? The ban on those foods is for more practical reasons. Bruschetta, while delicious, can be extremely messy - and no one wants to risk dropping tomatoes and cheese down their designer outfits. As for the parsley - it's best to not leave any chance of getting food stuck in your teeth. So we know what won't be on the menu, but what about what will be? BET recently interviewed Kwame Onwuachi, the chef who will be responsible for curating and executing the 2025 Met Gala menu. Although Onwuachi is keeping the exact menu for the gala under wraps, he said that he would be creating something that would be highlighting this year's theme, Superfine: Tailoring Black Style. Onwuachi is the owner of Tatiana, one of the hottest culinary spots in New York City. He's known for his Afro-Caribbean dishes - something the guests of the 2025 Met Gala have to look forward to. Some of Onwuachi's most famous dishes include oxtail and crab rangoon, short rib pastrami suya, and curried honey butter cornbread. 'I wanted to really capture Black culture in all of its elements - from the diaspora to the Caribbean to the American South, even to just the boroughs in New York,' he told the outlet. And for someone who's known for his dishes' aesthetics just as much as their taste, it's likely that the celebs attending this year's Met Gala are in for something delightful. Onwuachi said that what Virgil Abloh did with fashion is what he does (and plans to do) with dining. And if you know anything about Abloh's legendary contributions to the fashion world, then your mouth is already probably watering.
