The year before, I had also been high when another black chef, Adrienne Cheatham, lost in the final to Joseph Flamm. Cheatham had wanted to bring soulful and upscale African American cuisine to the table, serving blackened octopus with squid ink grains and fennel chowchow, while Flamm showcased his Italian experience with embroidered tortellini. . Both are exceptional chefs, and without a doubt Flamm cooked well enough to win. But I couldn’t help but notice who was making the decision and who wasn’t: Chief Justice Tom Colicchio shares Flamm’s ethnicity, but – again – there was no of black judges at the table.
When Season 18 kicks off next year, that will change: DC boss Kwame Onwuachi, a former “Top Chef” and James Beard Award winner, will join the final elimination judges table as part of a rotating panel. former candidates. “People have their concentrations of things that they really know and understand,” Onwuachi told me in a phone interview from Portland, Oregon, where the show is filmed. “African and Caribbean cuisine is something I know and really understand. That’s why it’s nice to have a diverse jury for something as personal as the food. “
Ideas, the freedom to experiment, and exposure to vast cultures and flavors make the food industry my favorite playground. However, especially on television, I do not see black people like me represented. For me, the debut of Onwuachi and the other judges (including black chefs Nina Compton, Tiffany Derry, and Gregory Gourdet) couldn’t come soon enough – and I hope that’s just the start, because the TV culinary still has a long way to go before it becomes truly representative.
Before Bravo announced the changes to “Top Chef”, following the death of George Floyd, and after seeing the loss of Adjepong last year, I decided to do some math. And they didn’t look good.
When I looked at the composition of the Top Chef Competitor Pool and Judges Table, the results were astounding. Over 17 seasons and 260 episodes, 34 of the 297 contestants were black (21 males, 13 females). As for the judges, the show’s “quick-fire” challenges included nine black judges, including six at the final elimination table. This year’s season 17 was the most disappointing, with no Dark Judges participating in challenges across 14 episodes. Disappointed, I dug deeper.
The Food Network is almost devoid of shows with black hosts. Besides Kardea Brown and Sunny Anderson, it’s hard to find another black face. Of 170 chefs featured on the network’s website, less than 10% are black.
For me, this is especially upsetting on competitive cooking shows, as chefs and food industry professionals put these shows on a pedestal – and say they can make or break careers. They are also the most watched food television franchises. According to Nielsen’s ratings published in the Hollywood Reporter, “Top Chef” is in the top 10, averaging 2 million viewers per episode. Topping the list are ABC’s “The Great American Baking Show” (4.3 million), Fox’s “MasterChef” and “Junior MasterChef” (3.9 million each), ABC’s “Family Food Fight” (3 , 2 million) and Food Network’s “Holiday” Pastry Championship “(2.6 million).
In 10 seasons of “MasterChef,” there has never been a Dark Judge in the standing trio, and the spinoff series, MasterChef Junior, has done no better. “The Great American Baking Show” did not feature permanent black judges on its panels, but has had two black hosts since its inception. The Food Network’s “Family Food Fight,” “Holiday Baking Championship” and “Chopped” each had at least one black judge standing during their show’s seasons. A notable achievement – but far from fair.
The American kitchen was built in the hands of slaves. Stolen from parts of Africa, black Americans are the origin of not only soul food, but also comfort food, contemporary American cuisine, and the fusion that permeates the restaurant industry.
What passes for good food according to television, however, is too often a colonized and limited version of what the industry is and who is in it. There should be more black chefs in gourmet restaurants, of course, but also and more voices from the black food industry represented in the media landscape. The two goals, as Onwuachi points out, are closely linked.
When he was chosen for “Top Chef” for Season 13, Onwuachi told me that he was not surprised that there were no more colored judges. “I wish there were more, but that’s just what’s portrayed on TV,” he said.
The lack of black chefs, cooks, and influencers onscreen isn’t because they don’t exist. This is because the decision makers and the showrunners decide what the performance looks like, including whether it is limited to the participant level or extended to include everyone involved, including the judges.
How can this change? “Diversify the talent pool more than in the past,” says Onwuachi. He credits his own way through the food to seeing faces like Marcus Samuelsson’s, letting Onwuachi know he could do it too. “This is another example of the importance of representation… well beyond the judge’s table.”
As America looks at itself long after the deaths of Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and others, one thing should be clear: Black people deserve seats at the table, regardless of industry. “Judgment has to change, not just on TV but everywhere,” says Onwuachi.
And as someone who recently left Kith / Kin’s kitchen because, at least in part, he wants to own his own restaurant – and control his destiny – Onwuachi knows that his presence on “Top Chef” can help achieve that. goal for others, too. “People are really interested in different types of cuisines, and visibility helps spark that interest,” he said. “That then translates into dollars in black and brown businesses.”
