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Lisa Birnbach and Chef Kwame Onwuachi
Hey Friends. I’m taping my introduction in Los Angeles, where I’ve been huddling with my Exhibits™. Without realizing it, I’ve been smiling that big ear to ear grin that I haven’t displayed or felt much in the last year.
We have rented an old Hollywood house which probably has a cool history, though so far I haven’t been able to find it’s provenance other than it was built in the 1920s. It’s Spanish and is made of stucco with stained glass windows and nice wood floors. But best of all is the yard, which allows us to be together outside. Surrounded by green and sky and sun.
My guest this week was named to the 30 Under 30 list by Forbes Magazine in 2019.. Kwame Onwuachi was also named Esquire Magazine’s Chef of the Year, and he was anointed as the James Beard Foundation’s Rising Star Chef of the Year. Kwame wrote Notes From a Young Black Chef, which was published by Knopf in 2019. He was a contestant on tv’s Top Chef in 2015. He ran several prestigious kitchens in Washington, D.C. until recently. Kwame’s story is a powerful one, and he is a charming conversationalist.
The five things that made Lisa’s life better this week:
1 Everyone of our far-flung exhibits gathered at our house this week. It took many months, some money, and a lot of effort and numerous COVID tests, but 4 of us flew out from New York, and joined with the 5 others who live here. We are all so grateful to be together. Now I know what all my friends whose kids have joined them feel like. Cooking and bartending together.
2. A morning swim. Something I cannot do in Manhattan.
3. Mexican food. It’s just so good here. And there’s so much of it.
4. Privacy. No elevators to take, and while I like seeing my neighbors and the fellows who work in the building, it’s nice to just be us. It’s nice to sequester in a house, and not stay in a hotel. This has been very nice.
5. Dinner at Ken and Lorrie’s. The best wine, the best lamb, the best apple pie. Thank you so much for inviting us.
Kwame Onwuachi’s 5 Things:
1. Family and Friends
2. Mentorship
3. Thoughtful Conversations
4. Food
5. Fashion
More About Kwame Onwuachi
My guest this week has been James Beard Award-winning chef Kwame Onwuachi and author of Notes From A Young Black Chef - A Memoir
You can follow Kwame on Instagram @chefkwameonwuachi and on Twitter and Facebook @ChefKwame.
The 5 Things That Make Life Better podcast is recorded and produced at The Field in NYC https://thefieldtv.com
My team is Shpresa Oruci, Michael Porte, Sam Haft and Boco Haft.