Q & A
Healthy Eating
is Vital
Executive chef Kwame Williams shares
his love of food, family and healthy eating
INTERVIEWED BY LAURA ADAMS STIANSEN
What inspires your menu at
Vital? We are a Caribbean restaurant,
so my Jamaican culture 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, and our
influx of vegan items.
Do you have any unique menu
changes or specials coming up
for the fall? I’m still currently
working on the fall menu, but one
thing I can say for sure is that our
Rasta Risotto will be getting the
addition of pumpkin for the fall.
Although we have different varieties,
pumpkin is very popular in Jamaica.
What charities are you involved
with? Locally, I have built great rela-
tionships with organizations like Toni’s
Kitchen, Montclair Community Farms
and Soaring Scholars. In October,
I will be participating in the huge
10-year anniversary of the New York
City Wine & Food Festival, which
benefits the Food Bank for New York
City and No Kid Hungry charities.
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BACK TO SCHOOL 2017 MONTCLAIR MAGAZINE
Kwame Williams
Executive chef/owner,
Vital Dining, Montclair
Website: vitaldining.com
Instagram: vitaldining
Age: 35
Hometown: South Orange
Resides in: Montclair. “I fell in love with
Montclair a while back, which is why I
decided to move my family here and
open my restaurant three years ago.”
Williams is dad to: Zaire, 12, “who moti-
vated me to make a career out of cook-
ing and go to culinary school;” Asia, 7,
“my daughter and princess;” and Ellis,
“my baby boy,” 8 months old.
Schooling: Institute of Culinary
Education, New York, N.Y.
You recently attended the James
Beard Foundation’s Chefs Boot
Camp. Can you explain what
that experience was like? The
boot camp was very inspiring and eye
opening. It was enlightening to see
how much influence we have as chefs
when it comes to the change needed
in our day-to-day lives.