WASHINGTON — Celebrated chef and author Kwame Onwuachi has taken over the menu at D.C.'s Ben's Chili Bowl this weekend for the first pop-up event in the restaurant's long history.
The collaboration is part of an eight-city series by Resy and American Express called "The Classics Remixed." The series pays tribute to restaurants that have stood the test of time and come to define communities around the nation.
Onwuachi has created a never-before-seen meal at Ben's Chili Bowl that will only be available for takeout October 16, 17 and 18. On the menu: Jerk chili half-smoke with avocado mustard, geera fries with calypso aioli and banana pudding pie for dessert.
The meal costs $30 and must be reserved on Resy's website here.
Ben's Chili Bowl is a D.C. staple. Ben Ali, a Trinidadian born immigrant and his fiance, Virginia, opened the iconic restaurant in 1958. Despite recent financial trouble brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, the restaurant is still going strong and giving back to the community.
"Business dropped 80% or more with the onset of COVID-19," co-owner Sage Ali told WUSA9 back in April. "We were set up to have our best year ever. Things were going very well. All of a sudden, this hit and it caught everyone off guard."
Chef Onwuachi has also been impacted by the coronavirus. He walked away from his restaurant Kith/Kin in July.
Though Onwuachi is remaining tight-lipped about what's next, he has made it clear that whatever he tackles next will involve financial ownership. In an Instagram Live with Dine Diaspora co-founder Nina Oduro, Onwuachi intimated that he was ready to "control his own narrative."
Onwuachi has been vocal about saving restaurants impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. He recently collaborated on a salad with Sweetgreen, with proceeds going toward the Independent Restaurant Coalition.