PLANO, Texas (June 8, 2022) — The Lexus Culinary Masters program is thrilled to announce it is expanding to welcome superstar chef, television personality and author Kwame Onwuachi. Lexus Culinary Masters act as ambassadors to the brand, seeking to craft amazing experiences and amplify Lexus core values: quality, innovation, prestige, luxury and performance, while also partnering with the brand on marketing initiatives and food and wine events.

Chef Onwuachi trained at the Culinary Institute of America in New York City and has opened five restaurants before the age of thirty. Onwuachi is a James Beard Award-winning chef and author of the critically acclaimed memoir “Notes from a Young Black Chef,” which is being adapted into a feature film. His much-anticipated cookbook, “My America: Recipes from a Young Black Chef,” was released last month.

“Chef Onwuachi is a multifaceted culinary creator whose dedication to his guests and community closely aligns with the foundational values of Lexus,” said Vinay Shahani, Lexus vice president of marketing. “We’re honored to have him represent our brand and look forward to the perspective he will bring to the Culinary Masters program.”

Onwuachi currently serves as Food & Wine’s executive producer, where he collaborates on big brand moments and events including the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen. Onwuachi appeared as a contestant on season 13 of “Top Chef” and returned as a judge on season 18 in April 2021. He has been named one of Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs, Esquire Magazine’s 2019 Chef of the Year, and the most important Chef in America by the San Francisco Chronicle, among other accolades.

“There’s a synergy between how Lexus approaches quality and innovation in its vehicles and the way I approach my cooking,” said Chef Onwuachi. “Our shared philosophy stems from putting people at the center of everything we do. I look forward to collaborating with the other Lexus Culinary Masters.”

The current group of Lexus Culinary Masters is comprised of some of the country’s most talented chefs, restaurateurs and culinary personalities. The team includes James Beard Award-winning chefs Michelle Bernstein, Stephanie Izard, Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo; Michelin star-awarded chefs such as the legendary Daniel Boulud, Ludo Lefebvre and Carlo Mirarchi; celebrated sommelier Carlton McCoy; and the “father of Southern Cuisine” Dean Fearing.