Mick Unplugged - Taste of Success: Intentional Living from Kwame Onwuachi

Episode Date: April 6, 2026

Chef Kwame Onwuachi is a revolutionary culinary artist, an award-winning author, and a visionary restaurateur who is boldly redefining the landscape of modern American cuisine with a global perspective rooted in his Nigerian, Caribbean, and Creole heritage. From launching a catering company from the trunk of his car to earning a James Beard Award and opening nationally celebrated restaurants like Tatiana and the upcoming Maroon, Kwame is an unstoppable force constantly pushing boundaries and elevating Black foodways on the global stage.Takeaways:Leaving a Place Better Than You Found It: His "why" is deeply rooted in a commitment to societal impact, aiming to leave every space and community in a better condition than he found it.Teamwork Multiplies Success: Relying on a strong team allows for concentrated work and multiplies effective hours, demonstrating that leadership involves knowing when to be the quarterback, coach, or water boy.Vulnerability in Storytelling: Sharing his full journey, including obstacles and vulnerabilities, is crucial for connecting with others and highlighting that true defining moments come from how one responds to challenges.Spice vs. Spicy: Kwame clarifies that "spice" refers to flavor additives that radiate taste, not just heat, and can be balanced like instruments in a symphony to create complex flavor profiles.Sound Bytes:"The times that I am working, they're very concentrated and it's more like, you know, I have a team and I would say I'm sometimes I'm the quarterback and sometimes I'm the coach and sometimes I'm the water boy.""It's not what happens to them. It's how they get back up. It's how they respond to it. Cause that's what you're really in control of.""The heat doesn't have to be the driving force. It's like a symphony almost, you know, every instrument has a role in creating this beautiful sound."Connect & Discover Chef Kwame:Instagram: @chefkwameonwuachiWebsite: kwameonwuachi.comFacebook: @ChefkwameRestaurant: MaroonBook: Notes from a Young Black Chef 🔥 Ready to Lead Different & Win Bigger? 🔥 How to Be a Good Leader When You’ve Never Had One by Mick Hunt isn’t just a book - it’s your blueprint to set up, stand out, and lead with confidence (even if no one ever showed you how).Straight talk. Real Strategy. No fluff. Just the tools you need to elevate your leadership and life.👉 Get your copy now and start leading on your terms → Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books A Million FOLLOW MICK ON:Spotify: MickUnpluggedInstagram: @mickunplugged Facebook: @mickunpluggedYouTube: @MickUnpluggedPodcast LinkedIn: @mickhunt Website: MickHuntOfficial.comWebsite: howtobeagoodleader.comWebsite: Leadloudseries.comApple: MickUnpluggedEXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/mickunplugged Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another exciting episode of Make Unplugged, and today I'm sitting down with someone who I've been a fan of since like 2015 when I saw him grace my TV watching TopShah. He is a revolutionary culinary artist, an award-winning author, and a visionary restauranteer who is boldly redefining the landscape of modern American cuisine. He's a James Beard Award winner and a cultural force who continuously pushes boundaries to the same. that people like me can enjoy and learn about food. Please join me and welcoming the amazing, the chef. Huame. You're listening to Mick Unplugged, hosted by the one and only Mick Hunt. This is where purpose meets power and stories spark transformation.

Mick takes you beyond the motivation and into meaning, helping you discover your because and becoming unstoppable. I'm Rudy Rush, and trust me, you're in the right place. Let's get unplugged. Comment, how are you doing today, brother? What's up? What's up? I'm good, man. Can't complain. Man, I'm honored to have you on. Like I said, I was a huge fan of you. The first time I ever saw you, you push my palate too, man.

Like, it was one of those things where, you know, growing up in the South, you eat what you eat and you get used to it. And I saw you. And for the first time, man, I was throwing in new dishes in the kitchen, new cuisine in the kitchen. I love that. I love that. I love that. I love that. I love how food can do that for people. Absolutely. So, Klamai, the first question I usually ask my guess is, what's your because? And I define your because as that thing that's deeper than your why. It's like your true purpose. And it probably changes from time to time. So if I would ask you today in 2026, what's your because, brother? What's your purpose today? Oh, man. I mean, my because would honestly be the gift of life.

You know, we're given this gift that we get to get up every day. We get to experience joy. We get to experience sadness, fear, excitement, love, the gift of life. You know, I'm fortunate enough to be presented with a lot of opportunities and that's not really missed on me. So, you know, the fact that I'm able to do that, the fact that I'm able to get so many things done is my because. And, you know, then, you know, start to think of like, okay, that's the root of it. Then, you know, what are you doing with that? What's your why?

And I think my why is to leave this place better than I found it, you know, to kind of continue to put my culture at the forefront of everything that I do to use my soapbox to amplify and give a voice to the inaudible. And you do an amazing job, man. And I want to hit on something that you said. you talked about always getting things done. And if I were to define Kwame now, again, being a huge fan of yours, following you forever, and all of your journey, bro, you get things done, right?

Like for those that don't know, like Kwame is restaurant here, book there, TV segment, TV shows here, the things you're doing in communities that I know you don't talk about because how humble you are, but the things that you do to give back, bro, like, I always wonder how much time does Kwame having a day because I have 24 hours. It seems like you might have much more than that, all the things that you have going on. Talk to us about those things, bro. Yeah, I mean, I, yeah, I have a lot going on. But I do have, I do have that me time and I carve out time for it. It's really, really important for me for my, my, like, recharging and resetting that I have that time to myself. You know, I play a lot of golf. I work out.

I watch TV, you know, but the times that I am working, they're very concentrated. And it's more like, you know, I have a team. And I would say I'm sometimes I'm the quarterback and sometimes I'm the coach and sometimes I'm the water boy. Sometimes I have to fall back and let my team play the game or let my team run this play. So I think when you when you can rely on your team, the days and the hours feel multiplied a little bit. I love it, man.

Did you always see this vision for yourself, right? Like, you know, going back to elementary, middle school, high school, right? Did you see this version of yourself? I did. I was felt that I was going to be doing something. I didn't know what it was going to be. You know, my mom is a chef. I grew up in the kitchen.

I didn't know that that was going to be. my career path, but I always wanted to do something. I remember my dream was to own a McDonald's, you know, when I was younger and I went and I worked at McDonald's and that was my first job. So like I always, I knew that I would be doing something that would be multifaceted, that I would be in, you know, have the responsibility of many people. I just didn't know what it was going to be. Amazing, man.

amazing. You know, I got to to see a lot of that journey that you had in your memoir, right? Notes from a young black chef. And one of the things that I truly was inspired by that book was that you talk about a lot of things and I see your entrepreneur spirit all throughout that book too, right?

You're talking about the journey. You're obviously aspiring chefs, right? But I also think there's a big part that's just like all entrepreneurs, no matter what you're doing, you need to hear this story or you need to understand how you don't give up on visions and dreams

and how obstacles are going to happen. But your mark is really going to be how you respond to those obstacles and what you decide to choose to do. Talk us a little bit about what motivated you to share your story and inspire others with it. Well, you know, I was giving, I was doing a couple of these keynotes

speeches where I would tell my story. And at one of them, there was a literary agent in the crowd. And she was like, you know, you need to have a book. And I was like, okay, how much is this going to cost? You know, me being from New York thinking everything's a hustle. And she was just like, you don't get paid until I get paid. And at that moment, we started working on it. You know, it wasn't really like a dream of mine to write a memoir, especially at such a young age. That'd be a crazy dream. But I, I, I, I thought it was important to tell that story and be vulnerable. I think vulnerability is very human and not just talk about the good times, we'll talk about the bad times and the obstacles. And that's also what displays like true defining moments for people. Like it's not what happens to them. It's how they get back up. It's how they respond to it because that's what you're really in control of.

You know, you could be up one year and down one year. you know, how are you going to really, how you're going to respond to that? Yeah, and that's what I love taking away from the book, man, because to your point and you referenced it in the book, to everybody that we know that's great or that's good, something happened. Multiple things probably happened that they had to overcome to get there, right? But the common thread is they didn't give up. And so, again, I think everyone, regardless of who you are, what you do for a living, like, that

book needs to be a staple in your life because there's so much that you give in your journey that transpires and inspires to others yeah i mean that's a common threat among successful people it's not how successful they are it's it's that they didn't give up that's that's it you know and a successful person's most exciting project is the next project um you know a true entrepreneur so So, yeah, I'm glad you said that because I think that that book, you know, the name chef can be swapped out for any career path. And the narrative will reign true of, you know, the obstacles and the tribulations and the mental dexterity it takes to push through to get to that next level. Real talk. I'm always on the move. Always jumping on some airport Wi-Fi or hotel network without thinking twice.

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Yes, sir. Yes, sir. So, I mean, I know the story of how this began, but I love to hear it from you personally now. I can be selfish. This is a question for me and me only. Talk to us about how your career began. the culinary side from the catering company, like all the things that got you to where you are today.

Yeah, I mean, it started, like I said, with my mom, you know, she had a catering company that she operated from the house. And we had no choice but to help out to keep the lights on. And that was more of a chore, but that chore turned into a passion and that turned into, you know, a career and a profession. But I started working with my mom in catering and helping out, you know, set up events or, you know, helping prep dishes or pack up. You know, I learned how to drive on a catering van. I pretty much did every job in the catering business. And then my first job outside of my mom's kitchen was in at McDonald's. And I worked fry.

I work the grill. I worked the screen. I worked the drive-thru. with the register. I pretty much at every position there. And I went to school after that for business administration. And I ended up dropping out and moving to Louisiana where my mom had moved the Baton Rouge. And then I started working in kitchens as a dishwasher and as a cook as a server. And then I went to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill that happened in the Gulf of Mexico as a chef for the cleanup crew, the oil, the first responders down there.

And, you know, that really taught me that I really, it showed me that I really enjoyed what I did. And I enjoyed the joy on people's faces when they ate a meal. Because I was cooking for a crew of 60 people, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I didn't have any internet. You know, this is before Wi-Fi or anything like that. So it was just focusing on cooking and honing my craft and making these people happy that were doing pretty tough grueling jobs.

Then after that, I went back to New York City. I started working as a cater waiter and a waiter at some affluent restaurants and found that I wasn't happy. And I needed to chase that happiness, that happiness that I felt when I was on the boat cooking for people. So I started my own catering company and I needed access to capital. I didn't have it. So I got on the subway and started selling candy in order to raise money for my catering business. And I started it. It went extremely well. And I was able to go to the Culinary Institute of America from the profits from that company.

And from there, I got introduced to some of the best restaurants in the world and went on to work at them and then left to then open my own restaurants. And the rest, as I say, is history, right? Or history in the making, at least. History in the making. So when your mom started out, like, how does your cuisine differ from your moms? Like, what are the different staples? I mean, I would say, you know, mine differs in the sense of my training and, like, the restaurants that I've worked in. the core flavors are still there.

Most of my restaurants run on like four, four pillars of Trinidadian, Jamaican, Nigerian, and Creole from Louisiana. So I've taken those flavors and, you know, implemented them in different ways based off of like my culinary education. But I would say, you know, the root of it, my mom taught me how to season food, you know, so like the root of it all is definitely her.

and then matched with like my education and my own my own work history. I think that and then my own creativity, right? We're all individuals. So that all plays a role. But it's very different. You know, her cooking is more traditional. She definitely gets creative when she's, she was a personal chef for a while,

so she's able to get real creative there. But for the most part, it's, you know, her stuff is very traditional, just done the right way. And, you know, I think with my cooking rooted in that, that's where I'm able to have some liberty and, you know, create things that are kind of new because I have that foundation in tradition. Absolutely. You know, one of the things that I learn from you, and this is something I'm sure everybody's going to resonate with, you taught me that spice doesn't have to be spicy in the sense that like we normally think. of like heat. And so again, learning that from you, like I cook differently now, man. Like I, not that I didn't understand spice before, but if you were to say, hey, go add spice, I would assume you meant heat. And now I, because, and I don't like heat. But I now understand just,

I'm not very technical, but I am more technical now than I was. Like, how could you for the everyday, you know, home chef, not even home chef, the dad, the mom, talk to us about, spice versus spicy. We talk a lot about trends on this show and AI is the one that just won't quit. But here's the thing. Talking about AI doesn't make you more productive. Actually putting it to work, does. And that's what Zapier did for me. Zapier is an AI orchestration platform that connects top AI models like chat GPT and Claude to the apps your team already uses. No coding, no IT bottleneck, no complexity. You just plug AI into your workflow where ever you need it, whether that's enriching leads, coaching sales reps, or automating tasks that used to eat your whole day.

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Get started for free by visiting Zapier.com slash Mick. That's Z-A-P-I-E-R dot com slash M-I-C-K. Fices are flavor additives to your food, whether even heat. You know, heat has different, heat has flavor. So you could be using a Scotch Bonnet or a Thai chili or a Serrano chili. They all have different levels of heat like scovil units, but they all have different flavor profiles. And then when you're talking about spices, which are your dried berries and seeds and pods that radiate flavor, those are things that you use as like balancing acts with them.

with heat. So the heat doesn't have to be the driving force. It's like a symphony almost. You know, every instrument has a role in creating this beautiful sound. You know, if it was just the drums, it would, you know, it would sound totally different than when it's like six or seven instruments altogether. So it's that balancing act that, you know, I have to have spice in my food. That doesn't mean it chilies, but it has to be something more than just salt and pepper. Yeah. Yeah. So I personally thank you for that, man, because I always just, if somebody wanted something with spices, I went to heat. And like, I'm not eating this dish because I can't do spicy, but I can definitely now do spices because, yeah, Jeff Kwame. Yeah, man. Yeah, spices are.

Yes, sir. They're very, very important in cooking, very important in cooking. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. You know, you judge food as well. What's one thing that we can do at home to just bring a little bit of extra, that little bit of something to a dish? You know, you got to start with the basics, I always say. You know, salt is really, really important. I think people under salt their food a lot. And then they're like, why doesn't this taste good? It's like, well, you didn't really season it to begin with.

And then cooking things properly, you know, searing things properly, making sure that your like meats are padded dry, make sure you're, you know, padded dry with paper towels. So there's not this like layer of moisture on the outside. You know, your pan is really hot. You're cooking on high heat. So you get a nice, you know, crust on the steak or the chicken or the fish or whatever you're making. You know, playing with the cooking temperatures. So you're not cooking everything. to, you know, 165 internal temperature. You know, other things, they lend themselves depending on what kind of fish it is or what cut of meat it is, like really, really doing research on when you're cooking. And then, you know, balancing acidity. Acidity brings out a lot of flavor too.

You know, that final squeeze of lemon or lime. You know, that's what like makes restaurant quality food, you know, differ from Holven food is that we're really honing in on the basics, letting the food speak for itself. But at the end of the day, we're seasoning things pretty well. Yep. I love it, brother.

I love it. You know, I hinted earlier that you do a lot in the community. You do a lot for the culture. Talk to us about some of those. I don't even want to call them initiatives because they're not initiatives to me. It's just your way of being Kwame, right? Talk to us about some of the things that you're doing to help elevate the culture and to help elevate community. Yeah, you know, it's important for me, for everything that I do to have a philanthropic arm.

It's, I think it's easy to give back when you're getting so much. And, you know, like one thing that we do, we have an event called the family reunion that we do in Middleburg, Virginia at the Salamander Resort. And, you know, we send someone to the CIA on a full ride scholarship. that's in need. And, you know, we pay for their housing on externship. They have, like, mentorship by me throughout the entire time. So that's one way. You know, at the restaurant, Tatiana, New York City,

we have Tatiana gives back where a percentage of each check goes to the public housing behind Lincoln Center to, you know, supply like turkey drives, give demonstrations on, you know, better ways to utilize your groceries. You know, we've done a lot of beautification and murals, you know, in the public housing and upkeep. So, you know, those are a couple of examples. But, you know, it's important to always think about that. It doesn't have to be as grand as what I'm saying.

You know, anything that you can do to give back is, is important to those that are in need because a lot of us are in need. And, you know, I saw that firsthand when I was growing up. up in the Bronx, for one, you know, being the one of the biggest food deserts and the biggest financial, financially free capital of the world, you know, that, that's just because not enough people are thinking about them. And, you know, I want to make sure that, like I said earlier, I'm leaving the place better than I found it, you know, in any little way that I can. And hopefully to inspire others to do the same thing. Amazing, brother. Amazing. And I, and I, I'd be remiss, you know, because I know how busy you are and I don't want to keep you forever.

I could ask you a thousand questions, but I do want to talk about these restaurants that you have and break some news on one that's opening up right around the corner, right? Like a couple of days, we got one opening up. Yep, yeah, yeah, Maroon in Las Vegas, here in Las Vegas. I'm here now. I'm officially a resident of Las Vegas, which is cool. It's a Caribbean steakhouse. You know, I thought about what does Vegas like?

need. And they need that. You know, there's there's, there's not anything like that on the strip. And, you know, if I'm going to be involved in something, I'm definitely going to put my culture forward. And there's going to be like Caribbean Steakhouse. There's going to be Steakhouse classics with a with a Caribbean twist. And yeah, I mean, it's just going to be a really, really fun dining room. We have a giant jerk pit in the middle of the room. The design is, is meant to feel a little exclusive, you know, depending on where your seats are. And yeah, I mean, I want to just give Vegas something they haven't seen before because there's so much richness in the culinary landscape of Vegas. But I think the locals kind of get lost in that, you know, they're

always bringing restaurants that are like transplants from other places. So I wanted a restaurant that's from Vegas. And where is it near on the strip? So it's in the Sahara. Yeah, got it, Sahara. Yeah. Got it. So here's what I'm going to do because I have several of my friends that host and run events that are in Vegas. I'm going to make sure that we are promoting the heck out of your spot in Vegas. I'm going to be out there this summer, the worst time to go to Vegas.

But I'm going to be out there in the summer. I'm going to make sure I come see you personally, bro. I'm excited about this one because you're right. It's something, no offense to Vegas and the food scene there. but like you kind of see everything, right? It's like you've seen it before. This is something that Vegas can truly say they haven't seen before. And that's why I'm really excited.

Exactly, exactly. And quite frankly, the country hasn't seen anything like this before either. So that's pretty excited too. Yes, sir. All right, chef, man. I'm going to get you out of here on my rapid fire top five. You ready? Yeah.

All right. If you were not a chef, what career would you have pursued? golf. Okay. Yeah. All right. I'm not even going to mess with you in golf. I can hit the ball and that's about all I can do.

I can't tell it where it's going. Your favorite dish from your childhood in either Nigeria, the Bronx, or Louisiana. It would be gumbo. My mom's seafood gumbo. Yeah. It's like crab, shrimp, and dewy chicken. So good. So good.

What's one ingredient you can't live without in your kitchens? One ingredient, like, to cook? Yeah. Oh, man. Steak. Yeah, it's rabbi, for sure. Other than that, it would be salt. I couldn't live without salt.

Yeah. So you can't say gumbo because that was your favorite. I was going to ask you, what is your go-to comfort? food after a long day. Go-to comfort food after a long day is chicken wings, pork fried rice, and spare ribs from the Chinese takeout spot. Love it. Love it.

As the story of Chef Kwame continues to evolve and history is being written, what's one word you want to make sure is used to define your legacy? Intentional. Yeah. I love it. I love it. Ladies and gentlemen, this is a lot of. been, Chef Kwame.

Bro. With everything in my soul, you are the man. Thank you. Honored to be here with you. I'm going to have links to all your socials. I'm going to have links to the book as well, too, because I think everyone needs it. And, Chef, because I love the book so much. The first 20 people that message me, Chef, I'm going to send you a copy of the book.

Oh, wow. That's amazing, man. That's amazing. Dude, the book is that book. Because to your point. Swap out the word chef. It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter.

Like the stories that are in there, the mission behind the book, the intent behind the book parallels anyone that's an entrepreneur, anyone that's looking for ways to overcome. The book should be your blueprint. And I mean that, brother. I really do. Well, thank you.

Thank you for your time. I appreciate it. And I appreciate you more than you know. And to all the viewers and listeners, remember your because is your superpower. Go unleash it. That's another powerful conversation on Mick Unplugged. If this episode moved you, and I'm sure it did, follow the show wherever you listen,

share it with someone who needs that spark, and leave a review so more people can find there because. I'm Rudy Rush, and until next time, stay driven, stay focused, and stay unplugged.