Q & A
Healthy Eating
is Vital
Executive chef Kwame Williams shares his
love of food, family and healthy eating
INTERVIEW BY LAURA ADAMS STIANSEN
How would you describe
your cooking style? In one
word: exploratory. I approach
all ingredients in dishes from a
sense of curiosity — giving the
ingredients the respect and the
platform to shine. Others
would probably describe my
food as refined Caribbean, but
to me it’s much more than that.
I’m exploring the boundaries of
the box that people have put
Caribbean food in.
KWAME WILLIAMS
Executive chef/owner, Vital Dining,
387 Bloomfield Ave., Montclair
(973) 655-9500, vitaldining.com
Instagram: vitaldining
Age: 35
Hometown: South Orange
Resides in: Montclair
Schooling: Institute of Culinary
Education, New York, N.Y.
Williams is dad to Zaire, 12, “who
motivated me to make a career out
of cooking and go to culinary
school;” Asia, 8, “my daughter and
princess;” and toddler Ellis, “my
baby boy.”
What inspires your menu
at Vital? We are a Caribbean
restaurant, so my Jamaican cul-
ture is at the core, but I’m also
influenced by a more conscious
way of cooking. We are more aware of our footprint when
it comes to food waste, sustainability and eco-friendly
practices, such as our use of local products, or our influx
of vegan items.
“AS A CHEF, PEOPLE TRUST US WITH SOMETHING AS INTIMATE
AS THE FOOD THEY EAT. WITH THAT RESPONSIBILITY,
WE NEED TO MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICES
INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF THE KITCHEN
AS IF LIVES DEPENDED ON IT, BECAUSE THEY DO.”
KWAME WILLIAMS
34
HOLIDAY 2017 MILLBURN & SHORT HILLS MAGAZINE
>
Do you have any unique menu changes or specials
coming up for the winter? Brown rice pumpkin risotto
will be on the winter menu this year. Pumpkin is just as
popular in the Caribbean as it is in the U.S.