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A review by jenny_bean_reads
Notes from a Young Black Chef by Kwame Onwuachi
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
What a memoir, wow. I love to read memoirs because you are hearing about someone's life from their point of view, and this is a perfect example of why reading memoirs are wonderful and important. Reading about his evolution as a young kid making mistakes to shaking himself out of it (with pushes from his mom at certain points) and starting his rise in his culinary career.
I actually laughed out loud when he described the Culinary Institute of America on his first visit at the point in describing the campus when he said "Just because fountains are dope." I loved that line, legit cackled.
It was so hard to hear him questioning his worth, because of a multitude of reasons, one of which is the non-stop racism in this country - institutionalized and regular ol' bigots. He asks at one point if it was arrogant to open an expensive restaurant that young, which in my opinion is no. He had confidence in his skills, he had shitty back office support, and I think the critic that tanked them opening night didn't give them the hour to grease showing up after 20 minutes was based on that critic's desire to see a confident, young, black chef taken down a peg.
Then the Trump election, and that bullshit coming from Gene and Kelly (which I honestly don't care if I spelled their names wrong, they are jerks), Kwame Onwuachi deserved better. He has accomplished so much since then, and before, but that doesn't mean he deserved to be treated that way.
Anyway, I loved this memoir and I appreciate Chef Onwuachi's willingness to speak about his experience.
I actually laughed out loud when he described the Culinary Institute of America on his first visit at the point in describing the campus when he said "Just because fountains are dope." I loved that line, legit cackled.
It was so hard to hear him questioning his worth, because of a multitude of reasons, one of which is the non-stop racism in this country - institutionalized and regular ol' bigots. He asks at one point if it was arrogant to open an expensive restaurant that young, which in my opinion is no. He had confidence in his skills, he had shitty back office support, and I think the critic that tanked them opening night didn't give them the hour to grease showing up after 20 minutes was based on that critic's desire to see a confident, young, black chef taken down a peg.
Then the Trump election, and that bullshit coming from Gene and Kelly (which I honestly don't care if I spelled their names wrong, they are jerks), Kwame Onwuachi deserved better. He has accomplished so much since then, and before, but that doesn't mean he deserved to be treated that way.
Anyway, I loved this memoir and I appreciate Chef Onwuachi's willingness to speak about his experience.