His success in the New York area is nearly legendary. Onwuachi ‘s Manhattan restaurant, Tatiana, earned a best new restaurant nod from The New York Times and is a James Beard Foundation nominee for the same honor.
Do you think the phenomenon of the celebrity chef has affected the food industry for good or bad?
I think it’s been great. I think it’s given people access to food visually, and I think humans in general just receive things visually. I think it exploded people’s interest in cuisine, and not just the basic levels. I think it introduced different styles of techniques and more variety of things. Just, like, bread [for example]. I think growing up, there was not that many types of bread [well-known] in general. Now it’s brioche and sourdough and things. You find that everywhere. I think that starts with the publicity of food in general and making it more exciting.
I think in a bad way, it maybe glamorized the life of a chef and made it not really realistic. And I think we have that effect in the industry, of getting people that just wanna be famous, or think it’s just all fun and games, or just shoot straight to stardom by just being on television. There’s not a true honing of the craft. I think that essence has been diluted a little bit.
What is the biggest sacrifice you’ve made to achieve your success?
Time with family and friends. I don’t have that luxury.
What’s been the most memorable night for you thus far at Tatiana?
Probably when Jay-Z and Beyoncé bought out Tatiana. It was like after her concert. She came and enjoyed Tatiana just with some friends and family. It was really small and intimate. And it was really great for her to want to celebrate. I just look at it like millions of people go to see her, and she came to see me. Young Guru deejayed. It was really, really cool.
What chef has been most inspirational to you coming up?
My mom. She’s a chef, Jewel Robinson. She started a catering company out of the house, and at a very young age, I had to help out. That’s how I even got into this industry, so I would say her.
Miles Marshall Lewis (@MMLunlimited) is an author and Harlem-based cultural critic whose work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, GQ, Rolling Stone and many other outlets. Lewis is currently finishing a cultural biography of comedian Dave Chappelle, his follow-up to Promise That You Will Sing About Me: The Power and Poetry of Kendrick Lamar.
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