Celebrity Chef Kwame Onwuachi Releasing Cookbook Featuring Dishes from the Diaspora

By Brunno Braga

COOKING FOR CELEBRITIES like Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Cardi B, Ciara, Dave Chappelle, Michelle Obama and Oprah is a dream for many chefs around the world. But, for chef Kwame Onwuachi, that dream has become reality. n The young African-American chef based in Los Angeles, California, has been recognized as one of the most prestigious chefs in the country. He has received recognitions like Forbes ’30 Under 30′, and the ‘Best New Chefs’ award from Food & Wine magazine.

Now, he is launching a new book, “My America,” which is set to release in May 2022. In an interview with the Miami Times, the chef said that his philosophy is that if a dish tells a story, it has a soul, which is exemplifi ed in My America.

It will be his fi rst cookbook and will provide his take on the food he grew up on: Afro-American Caribbean food, southern cuisine and a diverse background of dishes that encompass what he believes American cuisine is all about.

Featuring more than 125 recipes, ‘My America’ is a celebration of the food of the African Diaspora, as handed down through Onwuachi’s own family history, spanning Nigeria to the Caribbean, the South to the Bronx, and beyond, according to the press release.

From Nigerian Jollof, Puerto Rican Red Bean Sofrito, and Trinidadian Channa (Chickpea) Curry to Jambalaya, Baby Back Ribs, and Red Velvet Cake, these are global home recipes that represent the best of American cuisine.

Throughout the book are stories of Onwuachi’s travels, illuminating the t connections between food c and place, and food and a culture. The result is a deeply personal tribute to the food of “a land that belongs to you and yours and to me and mine.”

This is the second time that Onwachi shares his experiences in a book. In 2019, he released ‘Notes From a Young Black Chef,‘ in which he described his early life in the projects in the Bronx, his adversities and what led him to become a successful chef.

“‘Notes From a Young Black Chef,’ you could really replace that with any profession. We go through many adversities,” said Kwame Onwuachi to the Miami Times. “So it’s really just that story and a story of resilience.”

Onwuachi now serves as Food & Wine’s newly appointed executive producer, which means he’ll collaborate with the magazine’s editorial team to develop content for the brand across print, digital and video channels, as well as play an integral role in signature initiatives and events.

The acclaimed chef has recently partnered with American Express to curate “Savor & Soul,” a brunch at 1 Hotel South Beach. Onwuachi’s menu included classic brunch dishes like chicken and waffl es with chili honey, lobster and salmon rolls, and black truffl e quiché. https://travelnoire.com/chef-kwame-onwuachireleasing-cookbook-diaspora

Senegal Celebrates After AFCON Victory

By Isaac Kaledzi

CELEBRATIONS CONTINUE in the West African nation of Senegal following the nation's fi rst fi nals victory at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

The win was a long time coming for the Teranga Lions, who suff ered two previous AFCON fi nal defeats in 2019 and 2002.

Their achievement has brought smiles to the faces of thousands of Senegalese fans, with President Macky Sall declaring Monday, February 7th, a public holiday so that celebrations could continue.

President Sall congratulated the Lions in a tweet, saying: "What a game! What a team! You did it. Beautiful moment of football, beautiful moment of communion and national pride. Congratulations to our heroes!"

First Taste of AFCON success

Liverpool winger Sadio Mane became Senegal's hero on Sunday night, scoring the winning penalty to hand his team a 4 -- 2 victory over Egypt in Yaounde.

Mane told reporters the victory marked not just the most important trophy of his life, but the most important day of his life. "I am living a dream," he said. "I can't believe it. The wait was long, but fi nally we did it. We are all happy and proud to win this trophy."

He thanked his teammates for supporting him and keeping his spirits up throughout the nail-biter. "You know what made the diff erence when I missed the fi rst penalty? All my teammates came up to me and said: 'Who cares, we are a team, we win together and we lose together.'"

A Long Wait Comes to an End

After gaining independence in 1960, Senegal rarely qualifi ed for AFCON before emerging as a powerful football force in 2002, featuring now-head coach Aliou Cisse.

Following a career playing for English clubs Birmingham City and Portsmouth, Cisse took over as Senegal's head coach in 2015. "It just shows that if you work hard, if you persevere, you will get what you want," he told reporters after the match. "I am very emotional because the people of Senegal have wanted this trophy for 60 years."

Winger Mane dedicated the win to Cisse.

"The Senegalese people have suff ered a lot, but I dedicate this trophy to Aliou Cisse," he said. "You can't begin to understand what he has brought to Senegalese football. He deserves everything." https://allafrica.com/stories/202202080082.html Image credit: CAF Online

Five Great Books from A

By Peter

IT’S BEEN A GREAT YEAR for African writing, with Tanzania’s Abdulrazak Gurnah winning the 2021 Nobel prize for Literature. South Africa’s Damon Galgut lifted the Man Booker Prize for his novel, The Promise, and exciting prose continued to sprout. Peter Kimani, leading Kenyan author, journalist, and academic, lists his top fi ve picks.

Chronicles from the Land of the Happiest People on Earth

tWole Soyinka, the great Nigerian poet, playwright, activist, and intellectual, released his fi rst novel in nearly 50 years. He e chuckled at CNN’s s precise fi gure of 48 8 years. The title of his s latest novel is inspired by a 2011 Gallup poll that listed Nigerians at the lthtlitdNi i tth top of its annual happiness index, setting Soyinka off in search of utopia in his land of birth.

What he fi nds is a dystopian world inhabited by charlatans masquerading as Christians; young, skilled professionals lured home to perform nefarious acts; others reinventing themselves to survive the vicissitudes of politics. A sweeping satire of a land that Soyinka began to write about over 60 years ago, this is an important addition to his impressive oeuvre.

Afterlives

In this multigenerational historical fi ction of Tanganyika in the shadow of German occupation at the turn of the 20th century, Abdulrazak Gurnah, the new Nobel laureate for literature, presents the stories of individuals caught on both sides of the r racial divide. There are the locals lured into the service of the German empire; yet others are invested in pursuit of love and their optimism that it can suture broken lives. By off ering intimate portraits of his characters, foregrounded by large, historical epochs, Gurnah asserts the place of indigenous narratives in a whitewashed, limiting view of European colonization of Africa. l o y i t i l i o f l e a i

The House of Rust

In an enchanting story from a new w voice, Bajaber turns s a familiar narrative e trope into an invigorating journey y of discovery. The e main protagonist t sets out to look for r her fi sherman father, who is lost at sea. a Her voyage is on a unique contraption made of a skeleton, which morphs into other forms as she journeys deep into the unknown.

Khadija Abdalla Bajaber is the winner of the inaugural Graywolf Press African Fiction Prize, which came with a generous $12,000 advance. It’s easy to appreciate why the panel, led by the Nigerian author A. Igoni Barrett, settled on The