Kwame Onwuachi Showed Me the Rewards of Being Unapologetically Yourself
Tam Pham grew up in Saigon, Vietnam and is the chef and co-owner behind Tâm Tâm, a restaurant in Miami he runs with his partner. Pham won the 2024 Michelin Guide Florida Young Chef award; the same year, Tâm Tâm was awarded a Michelin Bib Gourmand.
On Thursday, May 15, 2025, Pham will collaborate with Kwame Onwuachi on a four-course dinner at Tâm Tâm as part of The Resy Dream Team Dinners series. Get tickets here (terms apply).
Take Kwame Onwuachi’s restaurant in New York, Tatiana, and my own restaurant, Tâm Tâm, in Miami. On the surface, they seem like completely different restaurants, right? But dig a little deeper and you’ll find clear parallels in our approaches to cooking. It’s what really drew me to Kwame in the first place: that he truly stands for what he believes in, puts his culture at the forefront, and lets that fuel everything he does.
In his book, “Notes from a Young Black Chef,” Kwame talks about his upbringing in the Bronx with working-class parents. It’s a story about failure, growth, and resilience, and it really moved and inspired me when I read it last year. He turned setbacks into lessons, not only bet on but stayed true to himself and his beliefs, and look at what he accomplished: Tatiana is one of New York’s most talked-about restaurants. It’s refined yet accessible, and welcomes everyone, whether they show up in a suit or durag.
And you can tell from the food that he cooks with soul and intention. His dishes reflect where he’s been and who he is. In a world where fine dining can often feel distant and unapproachable, he’s built a restaurant that feels inclusive, alive, and really personal. The food may be elevated, but it never loses its warmth. And that resonated so deeply with me.
The more I explored Kwame’s work, the more our connection made sense: Both of our restaurants are built on personal stories, family, culture, and care. And Kwame’s philosophy — to make food that unapologetically reflects who you are — aligns perfectly with what we’re doing down here in Miami at Tâm Tâm.
The more I explored Kwame’s work, the more our connection made sense: Both of our restaurants are built on personal stories, family, culture, and care.— Tam Pham on Kwame Onwuachi
At Tâm, we’re unapologetically Vietnamese in our flavors. That’s always been the point. When we started as a backyard supper club, it was so that I could share the food I missed and grew up eating at family dinners. These are meals rooted in memory, and every dish on our menu has a story behind it. We don’t water it down. We lean into it. But the journey to opening Tâm wasn’t straightforward.
From supper clubs to food hall pop-ups to finding our permanent home, there were many moments when giving up seemed like the easier option. But like Kwame, I’ve learned that these challenges shape your cooking and vision. They make the food more honest and meaningful. When you’ve fought for your restaurant, every dish matters more. And that’s why I’m thrilled to be collaborating with Kwame for an upcoming dinner. I want to cook with someone who’s been through it and still creates with heart.
This dinner marks my first collaboration with a chef who brings African American and Caribbean influences to the table. I’m excited to see how those flavors might interact with our Vietnamese traditions. While our cultural backgrounds differ, our approach to ingredients feels remarkably similar — we both look to our heritage first while embracing the local produce around us. We both cook food that makes sense in the cities we’ve chosen as home.
Bringing Kwame to Miami is part of a larger mission at Tâm — to share the work of chefs we admire with our community. We’ve always wanted Tâm to be a space where Miami diners can discover something new through the lens of someone we respect.
This collaboration continues that spirit. I think we’re going to surprise people — maybe even ourselves.
As told to Olee Fowler, a fourth-generation Miamian who knows every corner of the city. She spent a decade as the editor of Eater Miami, and now as a freelance writer, she captures the stories that make Miami unique.
