![]() ![]() During the Jim Crow-era in the South, black people couldn’t really go out to eat at a lot of restaurants, so a lot of families had convenience stores and juke joints and bars in the back of their homes. My family’s Creole-Cajun on one side and Afro-Caribbean on the other. I wanted to be a chemical engineer, but I was always around food-my mother was a chef. I was really into that before I got really into cooking. I wanted to be a rapper for quite some time. I wanted to be a professional basketball player, but that didn’t really last long. What did you want to be when you were growing up? “I wanted to be a lot of things. Onwuachi chronicled his experiences and meteoric rise-including his appearance on Top Chef season 13-in his memoir Notes from a Young Black Chef, released last July. His signature dishes include braised oxtails, jollof rice and goat roti. restaurant, Shaw Bijou (now shuttered), and currently helms Kith and Kin, which draws inspiration from his family’s roots. ![]() He sold candy bars to fund his first catering business, going on to graduate from the Culinary Institute of America and working at world-class establishments Eleven Madison Park and Per Se. In his early 20s, Onwuachi’s passion for cooking won out. For a period, he also worked in restaurants to support his music career. Growing up in New York, Onwuachi had a turbulent childhood, spending a couple of years with relatives in Nigeria for misbehaving in school and later, upon returning to the Bronx, joining a gang. Had things worked out differently, however, he may have instead become a famous rapper. Last year, he won the James Beard Award for Rising Star Chef of the Year. We hope that DC continues to support us and welcome us into its home, much like we cannot wait to invite you into ours.Kwame Onwuachi is one of the most celebrated young chefs working today with his acclaimed Afro-Caribbean restaurant Kith and Kin in the InterContinental Hotel in Washington, D.C.’s Wharf development. ![]() This being our first restaurant, and for some a first business venture, we had a substantial amount of learning and adjusting to do. Humility creeps up on you when least expected, and the opening of this restaurant has taught us just that. In order to continue to invite and welcome people into our home, The Shaw Bijou, will now only offer a 7 course-tasting menu, which includes a welcome cocktail, for $95 beginning Tuesday, January 3. ![]() So, with the spirit of the New Year, we adjusted our concept with the people of DC in mind. The Shaw Bijou’s vision was simply an extension of a 5-year dream of ours and while achieving that goal, we fostered an environment and restaurant that was not reasonable for all. I came to this city because of the energy. When people ask me “why DC?” my immediate response is always “DC chose me.” And it did. Here’s the full letter sent out from the team, explaining the new plan. UPDATE: A spokesperson confirms drink pairing options will still be available, and the bar will continue to operate as before next year. Since then, The Shaw Bijou has made some concessions to appeal to a larger dining base, including nixing its plans for a members-only bar, and opening the bar to walk-ins (with an a la carte menu). The restaurant received a tepid preview from The Washington Post upon opening. Dinner for two could stretch close to $1,000 at a restaurant from a chef opening his first place in D.C. When the restaurant first opened in early November, it debuted with an $185 per person tasting menu as a starting price, not including drink pairings. It will now exclusively offer a seven-course menu, including a welcome cocktail, for $95. The restaurant announced today in a press release that it is changing its concept, which includes dropping its pricing. Top chef alumnus Kwame Onwuachi’s restaurant, The Shaw Bijou, has dropped its prices dramatically. ![]()
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