- James Beard Award-winning chef Kwame Onwuachi has signed with CAA for literary and brand partnerships representation, moving over from WME.
- Berni Barta and Jiah Shin lead his Film/TV literary representation; Jordan Solomon handles brand partnerships.
- CAA has already secured partnerships with American Express/Resy's Culinary Collective, Centurion Lounges, and a Lexus Culinary Master role.
- Onwuachi continues to be represented by Carma Connected for public relations.
James Beard Award-winning chef, restaurateur, and author Kwame Onwuachi has signed with Creative Artists Agency (CAA) for representation, moving over from William Morris Endeavor (WME), which he joined in September 2025.
Berni Barta and Jiah Shin will lead his Film/TV literary representation, while Jordan Solomon handles brand partnerships.
CAA has already put deals in motion, adding Onwuachi to American Express and Resy’s Culinary Collective, featuring his recipes in Centurion Lounges worldwide, and naming him a Lexus Culinary Master.
Onwuachi trained at the Culinary Institute of America and opened his first restaurants by age 30, including Afro-Caribbean spot Kith/Kin in Washington, D.C.
This spring he expanded west with Maroon at Sahara Las Vegas, following the success of Tatiana in New York City, a New York Times top-100 restaurant every year since opening in 2022.
His D.C. restaurant Dōgon landed No. 8 on Washingtonian’s 100 Very Best Restaurants list in 2026, and Patty Palace by Chef Kwame now serves fans at Citi Field and Barclays Center.
His next cookbook, “All Hours,” arrives September 22, following 2022’s “My America: Recipes from a Young Black Chef.” His 2019 memoir, “Notes from a Young Black Chef,” is being adapted into a film directed by Phillip Youmans.
Onwuachi has hosted the James Beard Awards, created the 2025 Met Gala menu, and appears on “Top Chef,” “Chopped,” and “Somebody Feed Phil,” alongside his role as executive producer for Food & Wine.
He continues to be represented by Carma Connected for public relations.
The signing adds Onwuachi to a busy year of CAA additions, following recent deals with drag star Trixie Mattel, “Lord of the Flies” breakout David McKenna, and reality personality Sam Thompson.
Takeaways
This isn’t a chef jumping ship after a bad fit; it’s someone whose off-the-plate business (cookbooks, brand licensing, a film adaptation) has outgrown a single-lane setup.
Splitting literary and brand partnerships into two CAA teams while keeping his legal and management reps untouched reads as a surgical add, not an overhaul. The fact that American Express, Resy, and Lexus deals are already active suggests CAA walked in with partnerships lined up, not just a signature.
Does this signal CAA doubling down on culinary talent as a category to build out? Could this push more chef-driven brand licensing deals into the mainstream? Is Onwuachi’s expanding restaurant footprint (D.C., NYC, Vegas) the real driver behind the need for a bigger brand infrastructure?
