From the Bronx to the Met Gala Kitchen

A few years ago, Kwame Onwuachi was best known for his memoir, Notes from a Young Black Chef. It told the story of a Bronx kid who once sold candy on the subway and later ended up in culinary school, brushing shoulders with fine dining, racism, and identity all at once. Today, his name is in a very different kind of spotlight—he just catered the Met Gala.

Yes, that Met Gala. One of the fanciest, most exclusive events on the planet. While celebrities walked the carpet in million-dollar outfits, it was Kwame’s food they were lining up for behind the scenes. But if you ask him, it’s not just about the food. It’s about what the food represents—culture, history, and pride. As Onwuachi explained in an interview with BET, “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.”

Kwame’s story isn’t some polished, overnight success. He grew up moving between the Bronx and Nigeria. He was expelled from college. He cooked on a ship. He ran a failed catering business and then bounced back by competing on Top Chef. It’s not linear, but it's real.

What makes Kwame stand out isn’t just his recipes or his cooking skills. It’s the way his restaurant, Tatiana, reflects who he is. When it opened at Lincoln Center in late 2022, it got attention fast. The menu includes dishes like oxtails, egusi stew, and a chopped cheese topped with bone marrow. It’s a mix of his Nigerian roots, New York upbringing, and fine dining background. The restaurant was named one of the best in the country by multiple food critics, and it’s been packed ever since.

Now, with the Met Gala under his belt, Kwame is in rare company. He’s gone from a kid hustling to pay rent to feeding the top names in fashion, music, and film. But none of it feels like he’s changed. If anything, he’s doubling down on what made him stand out in the first place. His cooking tells the truth. It doesn’t shy away from pain, joy, family, or memory. It invites people in and gives them something real to experience.

For Black men watching his journey, there’s something powerful in that. Not just in the fact that he made it, but in how he did it. Without watering anything down. Without trying to fit into someone else’s mold. He’s not asking permission to be great. He’s just doing the work and letting his food speak for itself.