Notes from a Young Black Chef (Adapted for Young Adults)

This inspiring memoir, now adapted for young adults, chronicles Top Chef star and Forbes and Zagat 30 Under 30 phenom Kwame Onwuachi's incredible and odds-defying fame in the food world after a tough childhood in the Bronx and Nigeria.\nFood was Kwame Onwuachi's first great love. He connected to cooking via his mother, in the family's modest Bronx apartment. From that spark, he launched his own catering company with twenty thousand dollars he made selling candy on the subway and trained in the kitchens of some of the most acclaimed restaurants in the country. He faced many challenges on the road to success, including breaking free of a dangerous downward spiral due to temptation and easy money, and grappling with just how unwelcoming the world of fine dining can be for people of color.\nBorn on Long Island and raised in New York City, Nigeria, and Louisiana, Kwame Onwuachi's incredible story is one of survival and ingenuity in the face of adversity.\nPraise for the adult edition of NOTES FROM A YOUNG BLACK CHEF\n"Kwame Onwuachi's story shines a light on food and culture not just in American restaurants or African American communities but around the world." --Questlove\n"Fierce and inspiring. . . . This rip-roaring tale of ambition is also a sobering account of racism in and out of the food industry." --New York Tiimes Book Review\nFrom School Library Journal\nGr 7 Up-Onwuachi, a former Top Chef contestant and renowned American chef who was born on Long Island, NY, bares his heart in this YA adaptation of his 2019 memoir. He details the struggles, inspirations, and choices from the past that led to the present. The work speaks with conviction, introspection, and frankness, which is an appealing combination for young adult readers. The text doesn't seek to impress the audience, but rather aims to teach and speak the author's truth. From the ordinary to the inspired, moments from Onwuachi's childhood to young adulthood play out like recorded videos, revealing the people, dishes, and conversations swirling in his memory. These memories include snapshots of his family to experiences of racial discrimination to cultural judgments in the culinary world, which are portrayed with a sincere purpose and reflect his reality as a young Black chef. His personal and professional journey showcases a heartfelt desire to create and connect. VERDICT Onwuachi candidly declares how the weight of the trials he experienced impacted his story and fortified his culinary dreams, with an intensive reflection of family roots, aspirations, and expectations.-Rachel Mulligan, Pennsylvania State Univ.α(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.