Local Black Excellence: Chef Andrew Black

"My grandmother and I made a wood fire every morning at 6. That's how we made breakfast, lunch, and dinner," says Chef Andrew Black (he/him/his) remembering his childhood in Jamaica. "We were eating everything organic. We had all fresh fruits and vegetables, and animals - everything. We were farm-to-table. We just didn't know it as kids." Chef Black made his way to Oklahoma City and began the journey of co-founding and becoming the Executive Chef for Culinary Edge Concepts in 2015. Currently, the company operates three restaurant concepts around the city each encompassing a different energy, aesthetic, and taste.

Grey Sweater by Andrew Black

Grey Sweater by Andrew Black is a dining experience that offers its 42 seats a tiered tasting menu that highlights unique and unforgettable flavors It was this concept that catapulted Chef Black into the list of semi-finalists for the 2022 James Beard Awards. (100 N E 4th St, OKC)

Black Walnut is a slightly more casual concept that boasts bold, simple, brave, new flavors such as fried quail with green tomato relish and hushpuppies and cardamom roasted baby beets with shallots, dried cranberries, and goat cheese. (100 N E 4th St, OKC)

The pastry case at The Gilded Acorn.

The Gilded Acorn located in the historic First National Center is an eat-in Parisian café complete with pastries and a large menu of breakfast and lunch items as well as an extensive coffee menu. (146 Park Ave, OKC)

Chef Black continues to educate and innovate. His book Foraging Oklahoma highlights local producers while his coffee company Liquid Gold celebrates flavors from Jamaica and beyond. Chef Black is also partners with Freedom City, a non-profit mentoring program that seeks to remove barriers and provide support for students and their families throughout Oklahoma City, and does his part to use his voice to increase donations for kids and families that need assistance. "We've got to have integrity," he says. "We serve people so we've got to have empathy."