Real Talk with Kwame Onwuachi

In March, TFK Kid Reporter Ben Stern attended Ignite by 4-H, an annual career readiness conference for teens. At the conference, Ben interviewed Kwame Onwuachi, an award-winning chef and restaurant owner. Read the transcript below to learn about Kwame’s job, in his own words.

What inspired you to become a chef?

My mom had a catering company that she operated from the house when I was about 5 years old, and I had to help out in order to keep the lights on. That inspired me to be a chef—watching my mom and seeing her have her own business. I had to help out with everything from peeling shrimp to preparing vegetables to watching her season her food and take a lot of care with all the steps.

How do you develop a new recipe?

It comes in many different ways. It can come to me in a dream, or it can be inspired by a story or some life experience.

You went to school at the Culinary Institute of America. What did you learn there? 

I learned a lot of organizational skills, but I also learned about the complexities of working in a restaurant, and the different levels of restaurants, and the history of food, as well.

What lessons have you learned from being a chef and owning a restaurant?

The biggest lesson I’ve learned is patience: how to be really, really patient with people, with staff, with ingredients. It’s something I learned from the restaurant industry, because if you’re not patient, you will be very stressed out, and your life will be a lot harder.

What’s it like working at a restaurant?

It can be a lot of fun. Mainly, it’s about creating experiences for people—an escape for people to celebrate. But people [also] go to restaurants when they’re mourning or they’re sad. It’s really about creating an escape for people, and that’s what I love most about the restaurant industry.

What’s your advice for kids who want a career in the culinary industry?

I’d say start now. Start really immersing yourself in the food industry in any way that you possibly can. Start trying to cook recipes that you like. If you like a certain dish, try to make it yourself. Really get your hands into it. And then, as soon as you can start working, you should start working in a restaurant.

How has being a chef changed your life?

It’s brought me all around the world. It’s given me opportunities to speak to cool people like you. You know, I think food is a connective tissue for cultures around the world. You can cross an ocean on a plate. You can get to really understand someone’s culture by eating their food. And I’m just so grateful that I found this career path.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.