Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for providing me an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review

I can’t say how this book compares to the original, but it was an informative and enjoyable read in its own right. This would be a good book for an older teen (there is lots of talk of drug use and dealing) interested in the culinary arts as it talked a lot about the inner workings of kitchens, their culture, and the food industry in general.
In addition to a bit of culinary education, the young reader’s edition of Notes from a Young Black Chef tells Kwame Onwuachi’s rather interesting life story. He grew up in NYC and Nigeria, was a contestant on a reality cooking show, and has opened his own restaurants with varying degrees of success.
One of my biggest take-aways from this book was the discussions of racism, from being arrested for a burned out taillight and some parking tickets, to being treated as though he’s invisible and being told racist jokes that, if not laughed at, made him seem like the bad guy.
My only criticism is that Onwuachi come off as rather cocky and therefore not the most likeable, between having wait staff at Shaw Bijou tell his life story over every dish and the way that (possibly simplified for the young reader’s edition) all of his successes were portrayed as being due to his hard work but his failures were nearly always someone else’s fault.

I really enjoyed this memoir! I'm currently employed as a line cook so I really related to a lot of whole industry stuff. I loved following Kwame's journey to the chef he is today, and it helped remind me why I do what I do.





Thank you to Random House Children's, Delacorte Press, and NetGalley for providing me with an eBook copy to review.

I really enjoyed this book and am so glad I finally got to it. My library got the audiobook for it, which made for a really good experience because the narrator, Malik Rashad, seemed like a great fit.

I liked how the story started out towards the end of where it would eventually be headed. It made for a really good contrast between the author’s beginnings into his culinary adventures and what he would eventually go on to accomplish later on. He said “rags to riches” was too extreme of a description for his life, but the ups and downs were still very distinct from each other and it was interesting to hear about his rise to the top.

Despite getting a glimpse of the ending at the beginning of the book, the actual ending took me really off guard. I didn’t know much about the author at all aside from having seen him on Top Chef so I had no idea what was coming. I don’t want to spoil things for readers that also don’t know so I’ll just say I wish the author good luck in all his future endeavors!

I don’t remember why I decided to request the YA adaptation of the original memoir but I thought it was really well done. I don’t know the differences between this one and the original but found this one very fitting for a YA audience.

I had not heard of Kwame prior to this book, but I am always interested in hearing more stories from POC. However, this didn't hit its stride with me. I felt like there was still the arrogance that fits the stereotype of most chefs and while I really appreciate the drive to have an inclusive kitchen in fine dining, I could never root for him with exuberance. Hopefully this inspires some young people that are having trouble following their culinary dreams.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for honest review.

Notes From a Young Black Chef would be a great addition to any culinary course or school libraries. I loved the formatting of this book, it had story and then recipes for those to try. In the course of this work we learn about the often rough an gritty story of Kwame on his path to become a chef. The ever evolving story touches on the racism, challenges, and successes on his journey to become a chef. We learn of Kwame's exposure to culture which is demonstrated and shared in some of the recipes shared along the way. I

I'm not a foodie so I'd never heard of Kwame Onwuachi before I picked up this memoir. He grew up in the Bronx with his mom and sister, trying his best to avoid his estranged and abusive father. When Kwame started getting too difficult for his mom to handle, she sent him to live with his grandparents in Nigeria for two years. But when he returned to the States, the easy money he could make on the streets tempted him a little too loudly. It was his love for food and cooking that helped him turn his life around.
Kwame's passion for cooking and feeding hungry people shines through these pages. When he decides to walk away from his life on the streets, he has to work impossibly hard to put himself through culinary school but he does it. His motto seems to be “Go big or go home” and that mostly works for him. If you don’t aim high, you won’t go high, right?
I love the way that he incorporates elements of his life in his food. His mom’s Creole cuisine, his dad’s Nigerian cooking, and a big dose of his own talent and creativity. But he’s serving these dishes in his own fine dining restaurants and breaking down barriers.
I did find it odd that the book synopsis mentions that Kwame has opened five restaurants but his memoir ends just after he opens his first. I would have liked to read more about his big successes.
If you’re interested in reading about a young chef who is finding ways to make both kitchens and fine cuisine more inclusive, pick this up.