![]() At the 2019 James Beard Awards, Onwuachi was named Rising Star Chef of the Year. A followup cookbook, My America: Recipes from a Young Black Chef was published in May 2022.įood & Wine magazine named Onwuachi one of its Best New Chefs in 2019. ![]() The book tells the story of his childhood in New York and Nigeria, and the opening of the Shaw Bijou. In 2019, Onwuachi published a memoir, Notes from a Young Black Chef, with Joshua David Stein. In July 2020, Onwuachi resigned his position at Kith/Kin. The restaurant received positive reviews from The Washington Post and the Michelin Guide. He named it "Kith and Kin", serving Afro-Caribbean cuisine influenced by his family ties to Louisiana, Jamaica, Trinidad, and Nigeria. In late 2017, Onwuachi was hired to open a restaurant in the new InterContinental Hotel on D.C.'s Southwest Waterfront. After two months, Onwuachi scaled back the menu and reduced prices, but the primary investor closed the restaurant in January 2017. The reviews were mixed, and critics questioned whether it was worth the price. ![]() In November 2016, Onwuachi opened his own restaurant in a converted townhouse in the Shaw neighborhood of Washington, D.C., called the Shaw Bijou, serving a 13-course tasting menu. In 2015, he was a contestant on Top Chef (season 13). During culinary school, Onwuachi worked an externship at Per Se, and after graduation he worked as a line cook at Eleven Madison Park. In 2012, Onwuachi enrolled at The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. “While I'm sad the venue for my work is ’s really a trivial concern compared to all those talented young people that were the Shaw Bijou.He returned to New York City in 2010, waiting tables at Tom Colicchio's Craft before opening his own catering business, Onwuachi's Coterie Catering. Nothing is more important than that,” says Woodward. “The closure is incredibly saddening, most especially for the owners and staff who worked so hard and gave so much for the concept. The restaurant houses handcrafted wood furniture, limestone lamps, and Icelandic sheepskin chairs from artist Caleb Woodward. It’s unclear what will happen to the space and its impressive pieces inside. Hoffman says the bar and dining areas “have been packed” since prices improved. In its short lifespan, The Shaw Bijou made concessions to appeal to a larger dining base, including nixing its plans for a members-only bar, and opening the bar to walk-ins (with an a la carte menu). is open to shelling out big bucks for tasting menus.Įater reached out to the restaurant’s team for comment but has not yet heard back. The closure comes just two weeks after the spot said it would dramatically dial back its concept by slashing both prices and the course count in half, offering a seven-course menu, including a welcome cocktail, for $95.ĭespite the shutter saying otherwise, places like Aaron Silverman’s Pineapple & Pearls have proven D.C. Soon after, it received a tepid preview from The Washington Post. Dinner for two could stretch close to $1,000 at a restaurant from a chef opening his first place in D.C. When The Shaw Bijou first opened in early November, a $185-per-person tasting menu was the starting price, not including drink pairings. The 20-person staff also found out about the restaurant’s sudden demise on Sunday.īarman Zac Hoffman, who was one of the first employees tapped by Onwuachi two and a half years ago, told Eater that “every single person” at The Shaw Bijou was among the “most qualified” he’s ever worked with and “one hundred and ten percent dedicated-that should not be overlooked.” “It just became too costly with labor and the quality of the ingredients, and unfortunately, if you can’t cut those two things down, it’s usually the end of business,” Gorsuch told the media outlet. Washingtonian broke the news on Sunday, confirming the closure news via co-owner Kelly Gorsuch. Just two and half months after debuting to much fanfare, “Top Chef” alumnus Kwame Onwuachi’s restaurant, The Shaw Bijou, has already served its last meal.
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