Chef Kwame Onwuachi is collaborating withfellow James Beard Award recipientsto elevate the dining experience in American Express airport lounges.
Beginning July 29, American Express Travel will introduce a significant transformation to its Centurion® Lounge Network’s dining offerings, featuring “The Culinary Collective,” a group of Resy award-winning chefs, as the card issuer.announcedChefs Onwuachi, Mashama Bailey, Mike Solomonov, Sarah Grueneberg, and Harrison Ginsberg, the bar director at Overstor NYC, will create refined, internationally influenced dishes and special cocktails for all 15 U.S. Centurion Lounges.
“Since the initial Centurion Lounge was established more than ten years ago, we have been continuously innovating to deliver a distinctive and unforgettable experience,” Audrey Hendley, president of American Express Travel, states.BLACK ENTERPRISEWe understand the significance of our food and beverage options, and The Culinary Collective by The Centurion Lounge enables us to provide that high-end experience.
As part of its enhanced Centurion® Lounge Network, Amex Travel is launching Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge, a modern and cozy new lounge idea that is scheduled to open at Las Vegas’ Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) in 2026. The lounge will open in Las Vegas around the same time Chef Kwame unveils his first West Coast restaurant, the steakhouse Maroon.
I believe Vegas is a blank canvas. Typically, I research the history of the land and develop food that connects with my culture,” Chef Kwame says. “However, since Vegas was built in the middle of the desert, you can introduce anything to Vegas. So I decided to bring my culture to Vegas. I think steakhouses are closely associated with Vegas, and they are successful.
I wanted to design a steakhouse that I would enjoy dining in. Well, a Caribbean-style steakhouse,” he adds. “I haven’t come across anything like that before. I truly believe those flavors will fit perfectly within this idea. It’s not just about providing what they want, but offering what they truly need.
Regarding how he intends to set his Centurion® Lounge menu apart from those of other acclaimed chefs, “it’s truly about using flavors that represent my heritage and connecting the two brands, while ensuring that I uphold the highest standards,” he states.
The Bronx native andTop Chefalum’s gift for telling stories through foodone he eagerly anticipates enhancing the airport lounge experience.
I believe it’s significant because it reflects the environment I’m in; you can tell a story, you can cross an ocean through a plate,” he said. “You can experience different cultures through taste, and we can do the same with an airplane. So I think I can achieve that, sharing those stories through food by showcasing my culture via the cuisine.
It’s a comparable approach that Chef Mashama is bringing to the Centurion® Lounge. A native of New York City who has studied French culinary methods and is currently preparing Southern dishes at the well-known Grey Market in Savannah, Georgia, the two-time James Beard Award recipient is establishing additional food-related connections at the Centurion® Lounge as she gets ready to launch her new restaurant L’Arrêt by The Grey in Paris.
I enjoy considering that my food is temporary, reflecting my own personal movements and those of culinary traditions passed down through generations of Black people who were constantly on the move, establishing spaces and moments of hospitality along the journey and in their new homes,” Mashama says. “The Culinary Collective offers a chance to create that kind of connection between the creative potential of travel and a meal.
Another chef who infuses her delectable dishes with rich narratives, Mashama is dedicated to conveying the stories she shares through food at Grey Space into the menu offerings available at the Centurion® Lounge.
At Grey Spaces, we enjoy viewing Southern cuisine as something dynamic, connecting food traditions with the movements of Black people from the American South to various places and cities where they settled over time,” she explains. “I always start with ingredients to uncover the stories, but what really interests me is finding surprising links and presenting them in fresh ways. This is how memory and history can lead to new experiences on the plate. I remain fascinated by the roles of movement, impermanence, and creativity in these narratives.
Her return to Paris seems predestined, as Mashama intends to explore the city’s deep connections to the Black experience, combining its romance, cuisine, and culture.
Paris has a broad and diverse connection to Afro-Atlantic histories,” she states. Within these narratives, the city has been acknowledged as a welcoming place for many African-Americans who are creative and independent thinkers. For me, linking my New York, Paris, and Port City Southern experiences is a seamless match for Grey Spaces, but also an opportunity to combine these aspects of my cooking.
As the Centurion® Lounge grows to include various airports across the country, itprovides room for travelers frompeople from all backgrounds coming together through food, sharing dishes that convey tales, inspire dialogue, and unite individuals.
When the meal remains with you, changes something in your consciousness, or even demands something from you, that’s a fulfilling moment for me,” Mashama states. “Culinary traditions can serve as a connection, but the real bridge is between people, often strangers, who discover a way to welcome each other through food.
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