He’s cooking up history again!
Kwame Onwuachi, the James Beard Award-winning chef, TIME 100 honoree, and cultural force behind some of the most acclaimed restaurants in the country, is heading west, AfroTech reports. Onwuachi, who brought Afro-Caribbean excellence to fine dining through his flagship restaurant Tatiana in New York and Dōgon in Washington, D.C., is now planting a new flag on the Las Vegas Strip with Maroon, a Caribbean steakhouse set to open inside the Sahara Las Vegas.
It marks a monumental milestone: Maroon will be the first Black chef-led restaurant on the Strip. But for Onwuachi, the achievement isn’t just personal, it’s purposeful.
“It’s not just about being the first,” he told Travel + Leisure. “It’s about making sure we’re not the last. It’s about opening the door and then holding it open for others.”
With Maroon, Onwuachi honors his West African, Jamaican, and Creole heritage, infusing the menu with bold jerk rubs, scotch bonnet sauces, grilled seafood, and dry-aged cuts. But this isn’t just about flavor, it’s about legacy. The restaurant’s name pays tribute to the Maroons of Jamaica, descendants of enslaved Africans who refused to surrender, finding freedom and creating self-sustaining communities in the island’s Blue Mountains.
“The Maroons didn’t just run,” Onwuachi said. “They thrived. They created something new, something powerful, out of pain and resistance. That energy — that story — is what this restaurant is about.”
And storytelling is at the core of everything Onwuachi creates. As he wrote in his book My America: Recipes from a Young Black Chef, the origins of jerk cooking are rooted in rebellion and survival. “Jerk was born, and it lives still two hundred years later,” he penned, tracing its flavor from Jamaica to New York to London and beyond.
Now, those stories are finding a home in the heart of Vegas. Sahara Las Vegas owner Alex Meruelo shared the importance of the moment, “His incomparable fusion of storytelling, culture, and outstanding cuisine is uniquely captivating. Maroon will not only advance Chef Kwame’s personal vision but also revolutionize the current steakhouse experience on the Strip and beyond.”
Maroon represents more than a new restaurant; it is a cultural landmark. It’s the continuation of a movement Onwuachi has championed his entire career, bringing underrepresented narratives to the forefront of American cuisine. Whether curating a Caribbean-inspired menu for the 2025 Met Gala, leading as the subject of Netflix’s Chef’s Table, or earning top culinary honors from The New York Times, Esquire, and Condé Nast Traveler, Onwuachi has never just served meals; he’s served meaning.
“Bringing Maroon, a Caribbean Steakhouse, to SAHARA Las Vegas is an incredible opportunity for me to honor my Jamaican heritage, provide exciting flavors, and tell my story to an entirely new audience,” Onwuachi said. “It’s beyond overdue to have more Afro-Caribbean restaurants on the Strip, and I’m grateful for the platform because this will mean so much to so many.”
With roots that run deep and a vision that reaches far, Chef Kwame Onwuachi is not only breaking ground, he’s planting seeds. Maroon is currently set to open in late 2025.
Cover photo: Kwame Onwuachi to Open New Restaurant ‘Maroon,’ the First Black Chef-Led Restaurant on the Las Vegas Strip/Photo credit: Scott Suchman/Fine Dining Lovers