Kwame's coming

Award-winning celebrity chef and author heads to Houston for two special events

Top Chef Houston Ope Amosu Kwame Onwuachi

Ope Amosu and Kwame Onwuachi will collaborate on a dinner next week.

Photo by David Moir/Bravo

One of America's most prominent chefs will be in Houston next week for two special events. Top Chef star and James Beard Award winner Kwame Onwuachi will be in town to promote his new cookbook, My America: Recipes From a Young Black Chef.

The first event is a book signing that will be held on the Skylawn at downtown's Post Houston mixed-use development on Thursday, June 2. Organized by Kindred Stories, a bookstore in the Third Ward that specializes in Black authors, the event will feature snacks and drinks prepared by ChópnBlọk, the West African restaurant that operates in Post Houston's food hall.

The event itself is free, but tickets are required to attend. Attendees may also purchase a $35 ticket that includes a copy of the book for Onwuachi to sign (he will only sign books purchased at the event). Register via this link.

On Friday, June 3, Onwuachi and Amosu will be collaborate on a five-course dinner at Kulture as part of the downtown restaurant's Black Chef Table dinner series. The meal will utilize recipes from My America. Tickets, priced at $175 or $225 for the VIP chefs table, include a copy of the book.

Top Chef: Houston viewers will recognize Onwuachi from his two appearances this season. In episode seven, he joined Amosu to judge a Quickfire Challenge where the cheftestants created a dish using West African ingredients. He returned for episode nine — arguably the season's best episode — in which the cheftestants created soul food for a group of Houstonians in Freedmen's Town.

Nationally, he's known for his time at Washington D.C. restaurant Kith/Kin, where he won the James Beard Award for Rising Star Chef in 2019, as well as his critically acclaimed first book, Notes from a Young Black Chef. He's also been named Chef of the Year by Esquire and is one of Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs.

In My America, Onwuachi celebrates the food of the African diaspora. The book's 125 recipes include Nigerian jollof rice, Puerto Rican sofrito, and Southern favorites like baby back ribs, jambalaya, and red velvet cake. In between recipes, Onwuachi adds stories that connect the dishes to the people and places behind them.

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there's the rub

Restaurant known for 'new Houston cuisine' now open in Cypress

Courtesy of Jonathan's the Rub

Jonathan's the Rub serves steaks and other dishes.

A restaurant known for its eclectic “new Houston cuisine” has opened in Cypress. The fourth location of Jonathan’s the Rub is now open for dinner in Bridgeland (20215 Bridgeland Creek Parkway).

First announced last year, the new Jonathan’s is located in Village Green, a 70-acre mixed-use development within the 925-acre Bridgeland Central district. The 5,500-square-foot restaurant includes two patios totaling 2,600 square feet, giving the restaurant plenty of room for private dining rooms, a bar area, and indoor-outdoor areas with fire pits and greenery.

“We were looking for the next frontier — a community with a booming population and a clear vision for growth that aligns with our brand,” chef-owner Jonathan Levine said in a statement. “When we discovered Bridgeland and learned it was a Howard Hughes development, we were immediately impressed. With their reputation for developing generational communities, we felt confident that Bridgeland was the right place for our family and for Jonathan’s the Rub.”

Like Jonathan’s three other locations, the menu at Bridgeland is built around Levine’s signature “new Houston cuisine,” a kicked-up take on comfort food that includes everything from lobster tacos and blackened shrimp and grits to Italian American classics and steakhouse fare.

Village Green is also home to H-E-B and restaurants such as Sweet Paris Crêperie & Café and Crust Pizza Co. Austin-based burger joint P. Terry’s will open there next year.

“Jonathan’s the Rub’s arrival in Bridgeland Central brings a distinguished addition to the culinary scene in both the community and northwest Houston,” said Jim Carman, president of the Texas region, for Bridgeland developer Howard Hughes Communities. “We’re proud to partner with exceptional restaurateurs like Chef Jonathan Levine to bring elevated dining experiences that enhance the lifestyle offerings for our residents and neighbors.”

Courtesy of Jonathan's the Rub

Jonathan's the Rub serves steaks and other dishes.

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there's the rub

Restaurant known for 'new Houston cuisine' now open in Cypress