Celebrity chef Kwame Onwuachi will join the all-star lineup chosen to serve hungry tennis fans on the US Open this summer, only Side Dish can reveal.
Onwuachi, the Long Island-born, Bronx-raised Nigerian-American chef, wowed Recent Yorkers together with his Tatiana restaurant when it opened at Lincoln Center’s Geffen Hall last yr – including my colleague Steve Cuozzo, who named the short ribs suya pastrami on the menu his favorite latest dish of the last decade.
Now, the previous “Top Chef” star and tennis fan will likely be taking to a good larger stage in Queens for the primary time.
“I’m very excited to be a part of this yr’s US Open,” Onwuachi told Side Dish. “For a native Recent Yorker, time in town is at all times exciting. After I was 12, I went to the Open with my grandma and saw Venus and Serena play. It was amazing. Tennis is a worldwide sport featuring elite players from everywhere in the world.
“Tatiana’s global influences in cooking, together with a nod to Recent York City cuisine and culture, should slot in well.”
![Kwame Onwuachi](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/NYPICHPDPICT000012651680.jpg?w=735)
![Dukes Mom Onwuachi Shrimp](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/NYPICHPDPICT000002960418.jpg?w=1024)
Onwuachi says he’ll be making a few of Tatiana’s biggest hits, including escovitch hamachi with avocado, carrots and pickled peppers; black bean hummus with lamb in berbere, sweet marinated sultana and M’semen; crispy okra with honey, mustard and peppa sauce; and pepper steak, 14oz ribeye, with braised peppers and pickled onions.
He will likely be joined by two other newcomers to the food court: Michelin-starred chef James Kent, of Crown Shy and SAGA, and Melba Wilson, a respected chef whose southern dishes have long been successful at Harlem’s iconic Melba’s.
When he isn’t serving his signature chicken eggnog waffles at his Harlem empire, Wilson also enjoys watching a tennis match.
![We are open](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/NYPICHPDPICT000014575485.jpg?w=1024)
“It has parallels to life for me,” she said. “You already know that there are a lot of people within the player’s village who show up to present their best that the village pours into them. It jogs my memory of a village that appears to me on daily basis. My village – my Harlem.
She remembered her first US Open in 1983 and the enjoyment she experienced watching Yannick Noah.
“It was magical watching him move across the court with Harlem Globetrotter moves, swinging his racket behind his back and between his legs. His performance was unlike anything I’ve ever seen,” said Wilson. “The gang, the joy and the joys of being on this space excited me and showed that the variability in the sport matched what I wanted to attain with my culinary talents within the kitchen.”
Other chefs set to return to the US Open stage include Alex Guarnaschelli, Josh Capon, Masaharu Morimoto, David Burke and burger baron Pat LaFrieda.
![Melba Wilson](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/NYPICHPDPICT000014575209.jpg?w=1024)
Foodies and tennis enthusiasts may have the chance to taste a few of their signature dishes and meet them in person on the US Open’s second annual culinary premiere, “Flavours of the Open,” on August 24. Tickets to the event cost $175 and a portion of the proceeds will go to the USTA Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the American Tennis Association, said USTA’s Nicole Kankam, managing director of promoting and entertainment.
The event attracted 1,200 people last yr, and the USTA hopes to see more this yr, Kankam added.
![Alex Guarnaschelli](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/NYPICHPDPICT000014575220.jpg?w=683)
Greater than 700,000 people flock to the 2 weeks of the US Open held annually on the Billie Jean King Tennis Center, said US Open chef Jim Abbey, whose overseas team of 250 prepares food at seven restaurants, 60 concession stands and 90 apartments.
“That is certainly one of my favorite culinary events of the yr. For each veterans and newcomers to the US Open, that is an incredible time to shine,” said Guarnaschelli.
“I like being a component of the US Open because all of the food from far and wide has an incredible synergy with tennis and its amazing players. Truthfully, it is a privilege.”
![Josh Capon](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/NYPICHPDPICT000014575211.jpg?w=1024)
The Flavors of the Open event will even feature tennis big stars, led by the legendary doubles duo of Bob and Mike Bryan and Caroline Wozniacki, the previous World No. 1 and Australian Open champion, who has announced that she’s going to come out of retirement to play at this yr’s US Open.
“Flavours of the Open brings together great food from world-class chefs and advantages the USTA Foundation, which is doing amazing work for young people across the country,” said Mike Bryan.