By the time he was twenty-seven years old, Kwame Onwuachi had opened–and closed–one of the most talked about restaurants in America. He had launched his own catering company with twenty thousand dollars that he made from selling candy on the subway, yet he’d been told he would never make it on television because his cooking wasn’t “Southern” enough.

In this inspiring memoir about the intersection of race, fame, and food, he shares the remarkable story of his culinary coming-of-age. Growing up in the Bronx, as a boy Onwuachi was sent to rural Nigeria by his mother to “learn respect.” However, the hard-won knowledge gained in Africa was not enough to keep him from the temptation and easy money of the streets when he returned home.

But through food, he broke out of a dangerous downward spiral, embarking on a new beginning at the bottom of the culinary food chain as a chef on board a Deepwater Horizon cleanup ship, before going on to train in the kitchens of some of the most acclaimed restaurants in the country and appearing as a contestant on Top Chef. Onwuachi’s love of food and cooking remained a constant throughout, even when he found the road to success riddled with potholes.

As a young chef, he was forced to grapple with just how unwelcoming the world of fine dining can be for people of color, and his first restaurant, the culmination of years of planning, shuttered just months after opening. A powerful, heartfelt, and shockingly honest story of chasing your dreams–even when they don’t turn out as you expected–Notes from a Young Black Chef is one man’s pursuit of his passions, despite the odds.

“This is an astonishing and open-hearted story from one of the next generation’s stars of the culinary world. I am so excited to see what the future holds for Chef Kwame–he is a phoenix, rising into better and better things and showing us all what it means to be humble, hungry, and daring.” –Jos Andrs.

Notes from a Young Black Chef: A Memoir
Written by Kwame Onwuachi and Joshua David Stein

Source: Publisher (Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group)

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Jossie’s favorite time is mealtime. She loves trying new, yummy foods.

Sometimes yummy foods are crunchy. Sometimes yummy foods are soft. Sometimes yummy foods taste salty, and sometimes they taste sweet.

But when Jossie asks Mommy for a certain yummy food for breakfast one morning, it’s not what you would expect!

Will Mommy figure out what Jossie wants to eat?

Bokky for Breakfast
Written by Dr. Lisa Curry
Illustrated by Kelly O’Neill

Source: Amazon.com, Publisher (Belle Isle Books)

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Mr. Tony and Nevaeh, a student, planted a farm. And then the word got out. Every Saturday people came to help: moms, dads, neighbors, shopkeepers. Everyone pitched in and raked, tiled, dug, and planted. It was beautiful in spring and summer, and when the weather turned to fall, it was time to harvest so everyone could experience the fruits (and vegetables) of their labor. Together they composted, recycled, and enjoyed. They built a garden. They built a community, too.

Take the story even further with an author’s note, a recipe for vegetable soup, and instructions for recycling, composting, and tending to a garden.

Saturdays at Harlem Grown: How One Big Idea Transformed a Neighborhood
Written by Tony Hillery
Illustrated by Jessie Hartland

Source: Publisher (Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books)

The post Saturdays at Harlem Grown: How One Big Idea Transformed a Neighborhood appeared first on Books for Black Kids.

Laila gave Lucy a cupcake on the second day of kindergarten, and they’ve been inseparable ever since. But the summer before eighth grade, they find out that since they live on opposite sides of town, they’ll go to different high schools. Yuck!

Then Laila’s invited to compete at the Golden Cookie competition, which awards its winner admission and a full ride to the prestigious Sunderland boarding school, and it’s the perfect opportunity. Sunderland doesn’t just have an elite culinary program; it’s also home to an elite journalism track, if only newscaster-hopeful Lucy could build up a strong enough portfolio to impress the scholarship committee.

But when one of the celebrity judges collapses after sampling Laila’s showpiece, rumors of foul play swirl, with Laila rising to the top of the suspect list. Even worse, a major storm has effectively cut off all access to the outside world.

Can the girls find the real culprit and clear Laila’s name before it’s too late?

The Cookie Crumbles
Written by Tracy Badua and Alechia Dow

Source: Publisher (HarperCollins)

The post The Cookie Crumbles appeared first on Books for Black Kids.

Sometimes two cooks in the kitchen are better than one in this swoony romantic comedy from the author of I’m So (Not) Over You.

Xavier Reynolds is doing less than stellar. He just got dumped, was passed over for a prestigious fellowship, and to top it all off he’s right back home in Harper’s Cove, Maine (population: 9,000). The last thing he wants to do is to work as a prep chef in the kitchen of the hip new restaurant in town, The Wharf. Especially since the hot, single-father chef who owns it can’t delegate to save his life.

Logan O’Hare doesn’t understand Xavier or why every word out of his mouth is dipped in sarcasm. Unfortunately, he has no choice but to hire him—he needs more help in the kitchen and his tween daughter, Anne, can only mince so many onions. It might be a recipe for disaster, but Logan doesn’t have many options besides Xavier.

Stuck between a stove and a hot place, Logan and Xavier discover an unexpected connection. But when the heat between them threatens to top the Scoville scale, they’ll have to decide if they can make their relationship work or if life has seasoned them too differently.

A Dash of Salt and Pepper
Written by Kosoko Jackson

Source: Publisher (Penguin Publishing Group)

The post A Dash of Salt and Pepper appeared first on Books for Black Kids.

New York Times bestselling author J. Elle makes her middle grade debut in this magical new series about a Black girl who learns she’s a witch and must save her inner-city magic school from closing, perfect for fans of Wendy Mass.

Kyana Turner has just found out the family secret–she’s a witch! This means mandatory lessons every Saturday at Park Row Magick Academy, the magic school hidden in the back of her local beauty shop. Learning spells, discovering charms and potion recipes, and getting a wand made to match her hair’s curl pattern, Kyana feels like she’s a part of something really special. The hardest part will be keeping her magic a secret from non-Magick folks, including her BFF, Nae.

But when the school loses funding, the students must either pay a hefty tuition at the academy across town or have their magic stripped . . . permanently. Determined not to let that happen, Kyana comes up with a plan to win a huge cash prize in a baking competition. After all, she’s learned how to make the best desserts from her memaw. But as Kyana struggles to keep up with magic and regular school, prepare for the competition, and keep her magic secret, she wonders if it’s possible to save her friendships, too. And what will she do when, in the first round of competition, a forbidden dollop of magic whisks into her cupcakes?

J. Elle’s debut middle grade fantasy is full of humor, heart, and mouthwatering desserts.

A Taste of Magic (Park Row Magic Academy, 1)
Written by J. Elle
Source: Publisher (Bloomsbury Publishing)

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For the youngest member of an exuberant extended family, Sunday dinner at Grannie’s can be full indeed — full of hugs and kisses, full of tasty dishes, full to the brim with happy faces, and full, full, full of love. With a special focus on the bond between little Jay Jay and his grannie, Trish Cooke introduces us to a gregarious family we are sure to want more, more, more of.

Full, Full, Full of Love
Written by Trish Cooke
Illustrated by Paul Howard

Source: Publisher (Candlewick Press)

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When Joseph and Mama lived in a refugee camp in East Africa, everyone cooked and ate together. And Joseph could always hear someone playing the awal. It’s much too quiet and lonely in his new home. Though Whoosh, the girl who lives upstairs, is friendly, Joseph misses having more people around, especially his grandmother, who still lives across the ocean. So he invites his relatives in the city to come for dinner, then he invites his teacher, then Whoosh and her mami — but everyone is too busy.

Ever hopeful, Joseph picks the last greens from the garden. At least he and Mama will be ready to cook if someone comes. The next night Whoosh and her mami appear at the door with a big cake, and Whoosh and Joseph cook up a feast.

A touching story about adjusting to a new home and the pleasure of cooking and sharing food with friends.

Key Text Features

glossary

translations

Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.4
Ask and answer questions about unknown words in a text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.3
Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.7
Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, setting, or events.

A Feast for Joseph
Written by Terry Farish and OD Bonny
Illustrated by Ken Daley

Source: Publisher (Groundwood Books Limited)

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