Notes from a Young Black Chef by Kwame Onwuachi

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🍽️ Book Review: Notes from a Young Black Chef by Kwame Onwuachi

📚 A Memoir Served With Grit, Soul, and a Side of Curry Goat
✨ Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4 out of 5)

⚠️ Spoiler Alert! This post contains full spoilers, including how the restaurant ends. But it’s a memoir—so technically, life is the spoiler.

👀 First Impressions

Okay, first of all—this guy can WRITE. Like, wow. Before I even comment on the content, let me just say: Kwame Onwuachi has some serious literary chops. Maybe it’s the co-author (shout-out to Joshua David Stein), but I’d read more from this duo in a heartbeat. Honestly, if the chef life doesn’t work out (though I hope it does), they should just keep the books coming.

I picked up Notes from a Young Black Chef thinking I was getting a food memoir, and I did—but it’s also way more than that. It’s about identity, survival, ambition, failure, family, and yeah, racism. A lot of racism. And here’s where I want to tread carefully.

I’ve experienced racism myself and absolutely believe it's a huge problem in this country (and everywhere, really). But I’ll admit—when every setback, insult, or awkward moment in someone’s life gets chalked up to racism without exploring other angles, I get a little ick. Not because racism isn’t real or awful—but because the conversation deserves nuance. And at times, this book doesn’t quite deliver that nuance.

Still, Kwame’s story is inspiring, and the book is written with power, honesty, and emotion. It’s easy to root for him. And I really wish I could’ve eaten at Shaw Bijou before it shuttered just two months after opening. Justice for tasting menus! 🙌

🧑‍🍳 Plot Summary: From Candy Hustler to Culinary Darling

The book opens with Kwame preparing to launch his first restaurant, Shaw Bijou, in D.C. He’s full of nerves, ambition, and imposter syndrome. But before we see what happens with the restaurant (spoiler: it doesn’t go great), we rewind to his childhood in New York.

Kwame’s parents, Jewel and Patrick, had a rocky relationship. He grew up bouncing between households—his mom’s warm, food-filled kitchen, and his father’s colder, more volatile home. These early years planted the seeds for both his love of food and his inner rebellion.

After giving his mom a little too much attitude (understatement), she ships him off to Nigeria to live with his grandfather for two years. There, he learns some discipline, appreciates where he came from, and connects with his heritage and its incredible food.

When he comes back to the U.S., he slides back into trouble: gangs, drugs, and partying. But one day, while deeply hungover and craving comfort, he makes his mom’s curry chicken. That simple act grounds him. It's a turning point.

He moves back in with his mom and starts getting serious about food. He joins restaurant kitchens (where racism and toxic culture are very real), cooks on a clean-up ship after the BP oil spill (glamorous, right?), starts a candy-selling catering hustle (no lie), and eventually lands a spot at the Culinary Institute of America.

CIA is a mixed bag: he learns a ton, but the culture isn't great. He stages (interns) at the fancy NYC restaurant Per Se, where he gets a taste of elite kitchen life—again, brilliant food but brutal atmosphere. Kwame decides he doesn’t want to play the traditional chef game. He wants to do things his way.

Then comes Top Chef. He competes, gains a following, and rides the momentum to open his own dream: Shaw Bijou. A luxurious, tasting-menu-only concept where he tells his life story through food.

Sounds amazing, right?

Well… the restaurant opens to very mixed reviews and behind-the-scenes drama with his investors. The place shuts down in just two months. But instead of letting it crush him, Kwame reframes the failure. It becomes another layer of the story he’s telling—with food, and now, in this book.

💬 What I Loved (and What I Didn’t)

✔️ What Hit the Spot:

  • The writing. Like I said—chef’s kiss.

  • The vulnerability. Kwame doesn’t sugarcoat his life or his mistakes.

  • The food stories. Honestly, I wish there were more food.

  • The rise-and-fall arc. Classic, compelling, and real.

❌ What Left a Slight Aftertaste:

  • The tone around racism. It’s valid and real, but often feels one-dimensional.

  • The ending. I wanted more follow-through on what came after Shaw Bijou. (Update: he opened Kith/Kin and later Tatiana—go Kwame!)

✨ Final Thoughts

This memoir isn’t just for foodies or Top Chef fans—it’s for anyone who’s ever failed, reinvented themselves, and dared to dream bigger. I admire Kwame’s hustle. I admire his passion. I admire his honesty. And yeah, I’d absolutely eat at his restaurant if I ever get the chance.

4 out of 5 stars.

I just hope he writes another book. Preferably about food. With some more recipes. (Please?)

⚠️ Triggers to Note:

  • Racism and discrimination

  • Domestic violence

  • Drug use and dealing

  • Physical and emotional abuse

  • Gang violence

  • Culinary industry toxicity

📘 Book Details

Title: Notes from a Young Black Chef
Author: Kwame Onwuachi (with Joshua David Stein)
Genre: Memoir, Food, Coming-of-Age
Buy it here: Notes from a Young Black Chef on Amazon (affiliate link)

🧡 If You Liked This, Try:

  • Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain (chef-life chaos + grit)

  • Yes, Chef by Marcus Samuelsson (another inspiring culinary memoir)

  • Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat (less memoir, more delicious)

  • Eat a Peach by David Chang (raw, honest, and full of flavor)

What did you think of Kwame’s story? Did you find it as powerful as I did? Would you have eaten at Shaw Bijou?

Let me know in the comments!👇

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