Photos courtesy of Las’ Lap
Chef Kwame Onwuachi is a man with a delicious story to tell. At just 36, he’s been captivating the culinary scene since opening his first restaurant, Shaw Bijou, when he was 24. What has followed is a steady stream of recognitions, such as Food & Wine Best New Chef, Esquire magazine’s 2019 Chef of the Year, Zagat and Forbes 30 Under 30 honors and the James Beard Award for Rising Star Chef of the Year in 2019. Most recently, he landed on Time magazine’s list of the 100 Most Influential People of 2025.
Throughout it all, Onwuachi’s focus remains strong.
“Honestly, I try not to let that stuff get to me. I stay grounded by being intentional with my moves and keeping a team around me that has the same goals,” he says.
The New York native taps into his multicultural upbringing — living in the Bronx, Nigeria and Louisiana — and his family’s Caribbean roots to create flavor-packed cuisine diners can enjoy in New York and Washington, D.C. Now, with the opening of Las’ Lap Miami, an expansion of the New York City rum bar by the same name, he brings that heritage to Miami Beach, honoring both his Trinidadian grandfather and South Florida’s Caribbean community.
“I drew inspiration from the range of cultures you can see throughout Miami, from Haitian to Latin and beyond,” Onwuachi says. “I wanted to tap into what locals already enjoyed and found themselves drawn to, building from there and expressing my own culinary style through their palates and the dynamics of diasporic cooking.”
His culinary style is fluid, influenced by the people — and places — around him.
Las’ Lap
Wagyu Tasso
Oxtail Cuban
“At Las’ Lap Miami, I wanted to lean into West Indian cuisine,” Onwuachi explains. “Where Tatiana was about celebrating Black excellence and my New York City roots; Dōgon, in Washington, D.C., was an exploration of the diaspora; and Patty Palace [also in New York], an ode to the unstoppable Jamaican patty.”
The common denominator in all of his ventures is family. His mother, also a chef, inspired his passion for cooking, drawing him into the kitchen to help with her catering business.
“I always saw food as a means of bringing people together. My cooking is rooted in love, legacy and honoring where I came from,” he says.
That translates to a cuisine that is purposeful and soulful, with dishes anchored in tradition but gently reimagined with thoughtful creativity.
“I think food should make you feel something, and my work is all about striking that exact balance,” he explains. “Food can be serious and still make you smile. That playfulness invites people in to start, but once you take a bite, you realize there’s real technique and intention behind it — that’s where that surprise and delight moment comes from.”
Dishes like Las’ Lap’s Wagyu Tasso — a riff on Haitian fried meat (often goat) bearing the same name, elevated with Wagyu beef — cast new light on this staple. Doubles, a popular street food from Trinidad and Tobago, resembles a Mexican sope, but using dough made with curried chickpeas, topped with tamarind and smoked snapper. The Oxtail Cuban is Onwuachi’s ode to Miami’s favorite sandwich, which he refines with black truffle, mojo oxtail and Wagyu beef bacon.
All the food will make you smile — and wonder how this young chef has so accurately captured South Florida’s island community.
“I wanted the menu at Las’ Lap Miami to feel both familiar and surprising. Traditional, but open to evolution. Dishes like the Caviar with Roti or the Wagyu Tasso are about bridging worlds: honoring where they came from while pushing them somewhere new,” Onwuachi says.
Escovitch Crab Claws
Smoke On The Water
Charred Dorade
Palma
The cocktail program, which showcases a variety of rum-based drinks, is equally intentional. The Las’ Lap Rum Punch is made with a blend of three distinctive rums: Wray & Nephew, Ten to One and Appleton Estate 8-Year-Old Reserve; and the Palma features Coconut-Infused Ten to One Caribbean dark rum, coconut water and pineapple.
“Rum is an essential part of any Caribbean story and should be considered with the same weight as any of the flavors and dishes that we place on the plate. It has its own storied history and dynamic qualities,” he adds.
Equal parts sultry lounge and tropical hideaway, the restaurant’s music, dim lighting, lush foliage, velvety banquettes and striking portraits tell a story much as its food does. The name “Las’ Lap” nods to the closing moments of Carnival, an integral part of Trinidadian culture.
“Las’ Lap is all about coming together in the final hours before heading home,” Onwuachi explains.
Taken together, it’s the James Beard Award winner’s way of bridging his layered upbringing and heritage with a city known and celebrated for its culinary diversity — a perfect fusion of his Afro-Caribbean roots and Miami’s own multicultural spirit.
“It’s the same approach I’ve always taken: Respect the foundation, but don’t be afraid to remix it,” Onwuachi says. “Every dish has a story, whether it’s inspired by family, travel or a memory. The goal is to capture that joy and rhythm of Caribbean cooking in a way that feels fresh and alive.”
Maracuya & Jicama Salad
Serves: 2
INGREDIENTS
• 3 tablespoons passion fruit sauce (see recipe below)
• ½ small Asian pear, peeled and diced into ¾-inch cubes (about ¼ cup)
• ½ small yellow dragon fruit, peeled and diced into ¾-inch cubes (about ¼ cup)
• ¼ cup jicama, peeled and diced into ¾-inch cubes
• 1 watermelon radish, peeled and cut into ¼-inch cubes or small wedges (about 2 tablespoons)
• 1 small golden kiwi, peeled and cut into 3 wedges
• ½ small ripe Hass avocado, diced into ¾-inch cubes (about ¼ cup)
• ½ teaspoon Tajín seasoning (or to taste)
• 1 lime, halved
• flaky sea salt (such as Maldon), to finish
• fresh opal basil, cilantro leaves and mint leaves
(for garnish)
• edible flowers, optional
PREPARATION
Keep the diced pear and avocado covered tightly with plastic wrap or in a container with a squeeze of lime juice to prevent browning. Refrigerate all prepped fruit and vegetables until ready to assemble. In a large bowl, combine the pear, dragon fruit, jicama, radish, kiwi and avocado. Sprinkle with Tajín and toss gently with a spoon until evenly coated. Spoon the passion fruit sauce onto the center of a small, shallow bowl or plate to form a smooth base. Pile the seasoned fruit gently over the sauce in a loose, natural mound. Squeeze a bit of fresh lime juice over the top for brightness. Sprinkle lightly with flaky salt. Garnish with fresh basil, cilantro, mint and edible flowers, if desired.
Passion Fruit Sauce
Yield: About ½ cup
INGREDIENTS
• ½ cup passion fruit pulp (found refrigerated or frozen in most grocery stores)
• ¼ cup Chef Kwame’s Escovitch (see recipe at right)
• 1/8 teaspoon minced Scotch bonnet pepper (adjust for heat)
• kosher salt, to taste
PREPARATION
If using frozen pulp, thaw fully. Strain the pulp through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing with the back of a spoon to remove seeds. The puree should be smooth, bright and glossy. In a blender, combine the strained passion fruit puree, escovitch and Scotch bonnet pepper. Blend on high until completely smooth and emulsified. Taste and season with kosher salt. Transfer to a sealed container. Keeps up to 5 days in the fridge.
Chef Kwame’s Escovitch
Yield: About 1 cup
INGREDIENTS
• 3 tablespoons neutral oil (canola or grapeseed), divided
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• ¼–½ teaspoon minced habanero (adjust for heat)
• 2/3 cup water
• ½ cup white balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon white granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup carrot juice
• 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
• ¼ cup each red and orange bell pepper, thinly sliced (about
½ cup total)
• kosher salt, to taste
PREPARATION
In a small saucepan, heat 1½ tablespoons oil over medium heat. Add ginger, garlic and habanero. Cook, stirring often, until fragrant and no longer raw, without browning.
Add water, vinegar, sugar and carrot juice directly to the aromatics. Simmer until reduced to a syrupy texture, then transfer to a blender and blend until completely smooth.
While the syrup reduces, heat remaining oil in a wide, shallow pan over medium heat. Add the onion and bell pepper, season lightly with salt, and cook until softened but not browned. Let liquid evaporate completely, pouring off excess if needed.
Stir the blended syrup with the vegetables until evenly coated. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, if needed. Cool, then transfer to a container. Keeps up to 5 days in the fridge.