Warren County Public Library is joining libraries across the state of Illinois to host award-winning chef Kwame Onwuachi. Onwuachi will discuss his new cookbook My America: Recipes from a Young Black Chef.  The event will be held virtually on Wednesday, June 22, at 7 p.m. To register, visit https://bit.ly/June22_KwameOnwuachi

Onwuachi is a James Beard Award-winning chef and a former Top Chef contestant. He was named Food & Wine’s best new chef in 2019 and Esquire’s chef of the year in 2019. He opened 5 restaurants before turning 30 and was named a 30 Under 30 honoree by both Zagat and Forbes.  His 2019 memoir, Notes from a Young Black Chef: A Memoir, received critical acclaim.

Onwuachi’s new cookbook, My America: Recipes from a Young Black Chef, with more than 125 recipes, celebrates the cuisine of the African diaspora as handed down through Onwuachi’s own family history. Born on Long Island and raised in New York City, Nigeria, and Louisiana, Onwuachi was first exposed to cooking by his mother in the family’s modest Bronx apartment. 

Onwuachi will share stories behind his family’s recipes, and the importance of the connections between cuisine, place, and culture.

Illinois Libraries Present: An Evening with Chef Kwame Onwuachi will begin at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, June 22. The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required.

This event is made possible by Illinois Libraries Present, a statewide collaboration among public libraries offering high-quality events. Funded in part by a grant awarded by the Illinois State Library, a Department of the Office of Secretary of State, using funds provided by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services, under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA).