Award-winning chef Kwame Onwuachi made his return to Wasington, D.C. with the debut of Dōgon, an upscale Afro-Caribbean restaurant, on Sep. 9. The new concept is nestled in the Salamander Hotel along the Southwest waterfront.
Through his culinary journey, Onwuachi has taken inspiration from his Nigerian, Jamaican, Trinidadian and Creole heritage to craft his cuisine and share history through food.
"People ask me why I open up these restaurants, and I don't think they understand we're able to celebrate our culture while celebrating a special experience for some of the first times," said Onwuachi during a Sep. 5 ribbon-cutting ceremony. "Our food is shunned to mom and pop shops, not given the opportunity and investment or not written about. For us to have a place like this is a beacon of light for other chefs to be able to open up places like this."
Although native to New York, Onwuachi spent his summers in the District during his youth. His grandfather taught African-American studies and anthropology at Howard University.
He opened his first restaurant, Shaw Bijou, in 2016, but the high-end spot closed after just two and a half months. A year later, Onwuachi returned with Kith/Kin at the InterContinental Hotel on the Southwest waterfront. There, he won a James Beard Award for rising star chef of the year in 2019.
With Dōgon, he hopes to tell the story of Washington, D.C. through an Afro-Carribean lens and to tell the story of his ancestors.
"Our food matters," said Onwuachi. "We don't need to refine it. It's beautiful as it is."
Dōgon's home, the Salamander Washington, D.C., is a part of Salamander Hotels and Resorts, a luxury hospitality management company founded by Sheila C. Johnson. She is the first Black woman billionaire and the cofounder of BET.
Johnson purchased the former Mandarin Oriental property in 2022 and began renovating the hotel. She said she met Onwuachi in the Bahamas while attending a bridal event.
After visiting Kith/Kin, she was amazed by his food.
"We went there for my birthday, but then I brought my executive team because what I tasted that night was like no other," said Jackson at the ribbon-cutting. "I knew from that point on he was going to be my go-to chef."
Together, the pair created The Family Reunion, an immersive, multi-day event in Middleburg, Va. that celebrates diversity in the hospitality industry.
She then called on Onwuachi to open a restaurant at the newly rebranded Salamander Washington, D.C. hotel.
"I have never been so excited about a talent like this in my life," said Johnson. "I am willing to invest in him and keep watching his journey as he continues to grow because he is truly amazing."
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser believes the new concept will contribute to the rebound of tourism in the District, which declined during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"They have a saying when we are shopping our destination around the world, and it's that you always have to be doing something new," said Bowser. "You have to have new destinations, new restaurants, new activations and new chefs because people who want to come to Washington want to experience every part of D.C."