His menu would be “nothing short of global,” he told me when I interviewed him for a national anticipated openings roundup. It’s rare to see a chef using the format to explore a story like Onwuachi’s - he would take inspiration from the culinary traditions from Nigeria, from his mother’s Creole background, and from his childhood experiences in the Bronx. Rounding out the group was business consultant Glenn Paik.Īmerica has few high-end tasting menu destinations run by chefs of color. Co-owner Kelly Gorsuch came from the beauty industry he is the president of Gorsuch Holdings, which owns high-end salons. Co-owner Gregory Vakiner was on board as GM he and Onwuachi went to the CIA and worked at EMP together. His operating team was green, but compelling. Later that year, he joined the season 13 cast of Top Chef, which introduced viewers to a young, ambitious Black chef with a short but pedigreed resume: CIA graduate, Per Se extern, Eleven Madison Park alum, business owner at age 20. food world, announced his plans for the Shaw Bijou in April 2015.

There was a lot to be excited about when Onwuachi, then an unknown in the D.C. A look back: Why Everyone Was Amped for the Shaw Bijou R. After the news broke this past weekend, the Washington Post reported the two principal investors “could no longer afford to keep the place running.”Ī few things stand out in the brief, turbulent history of the Shaw Bijou, mostly how intense the restaurant’s short run was. That he was in the dark puts the rest of our conversation about the challenging first months in a new light. Now he confirms that when we spoke last Friday, he “had no idea” the shutter was happening. During that conversation, he didn’t intimate anything about the closure. Now, with the news of his restaurant closing splashed across the internet, Onwuachi tells Eater: “This has been a great lesson, and I've learned so much from it.”Įater's national team was so surprised by the volley of negative reviews the Shaw Bijou received in its two-and-a-half months that I spoke with Onwuachi last Friday, planning to run a story about how a young business learns to pivot from early feedback. But now, the fairy tale is over: Onwuachi's restaurant, the Shaw Bijou, abruptly shuttered over the weekend after just two-and-a-half months in business - and weeks after he switched up the format, lowering the price and course count in an effort to better serve the dining public.

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