History

HIST 1301-72010

Spring 2021

Book Exam Review

Time Limit: 90 minutes

Due Date: Saturday, May 8, 10 PM CT

Kwame Onwuachi’s Notes from a Young Black Chef: A Memoir

NOTE: You are prohibited from using your books, notes, or any other reading materials during the

exam. Since this is a closed-book exam, do not quote directly from the book! Do not copy or paste

from another source, including your own notes! Type your essay in the answer box given on the

exam. Otherwise, you will receive a zero for your grade! Your exam is a timed test. Any violation

of the student conduct code for examinations will also result in an immediate expulsion from the

course and possible suspension from Dallas College.

Book Exam Essay (100 points). The Book Exam pertains to Kwame Onwuachi’s Notes from a Young

Black Chef: A Memoir. On the exam, you must respond to the essay prompt stated below. Using your

own words, be sure to write a response that answers the questions in approximately 6-8 paragraphs with

complete sentences. Be sure to provide or synthesize specific examples from the book to support your

answers. You will have 90 minutes to complete the exam.

Discuss some of Kwame Onwuachi’s hardships growing up in the Bronx. How did Kwame’s mother,

Jewel, introduce him to the culinary world? After being sent to Nigeria, what did he learn about Nigerian

culture and food? As a teenager, how and why did he join a gang? Expelled from college, what rekindled

his passion for cooking? What did Kwame learn from his restaurant work in Louisiana and on the Maine

Responder vessel? How did Kwame juggle his education at the Culinary Institute of America while

working as a line cook and caterer? Explain some of his early culinary successes. What challenges did he

endure at fine dining restaurants? Analyze the rise and fall of Chef Onwuachi’s Shaw Bijou restaurant.

Finally, what lessons did Chef Onwuachi embrace from his African diasporic roots and foodways?