This Star-Studded Food Festival In Virginia Just Celebrated Its Fifth Year

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Kwame Onwuachi and Sheila Johnson address attendees at the 5th Annual Family Reunion.

Clay Williams

The Family Reunion, the premier celebration of Black cuisine in the U.S., marked a milestone last weekend, returning for its fifth year at the Forbes Triple-Five-Star Salamander Middleburg resort. Over the course of four unforgettable days, the sold-out event, presented by James Beard Award-winning chef Kwame Onwuachi in partnership with Sheila Johnson’s Salamander Collection and Food & Wine, brought together nearly 1,000 guests daily to savor culinary excellence, engage in mindful conversations and immerse themselves in the traditions and innovations shaping the future of the culinary industry.

Onwuachi underscores the event’s ongoing relevance, stating, “There is an exemption of our culture within food festivals, especially of this caliber. The Family Reunion continues to be an important platform for celebrating our culture, history, past and future.” Showcasing an impressive lineup of chefs and industry leaders, including Tiffany Derry, Gregory Gourdet, Nyesha Arrington, and Alexander Smalls, The Family Reunion offers both star power and substance. The event also gives back by supporting the Onwuachi Scholarship Fund at The Culinary Institute of America.

Jamila Robinson, editor-in-chief of Bon Appétit and Epicurious, has been a loyal attendee each of the past five years. For Robinson, the magic of The Family Reunion lies in the way it brings people together. She says, “It presents food as entertainment and gives participants the opportunity to experience chefs they might not otherwise have access to, while tasting flavors from across the country and the African Diaspora all in one place.”

The event kicks off every year with a lively cookout. This year’s gathering welcomed back legendary pitmasters Bryan Furman, Rodney Scott, Kevin Bludso and Rasheed Philips along with Torrence “Chef T” Gregoire and Virginia Ali of Ben’s Chili Bowl. Mornings began with “Rise & Dine,” a breakfast buffet featuring made-to-order crepes from Crepe Therapy Café. Leading the experience was Chef Mawa McQueen, also known for her Aspen restaurant, Mawa’s Kitchen, which serves Afro-fusion cuisine.

McQueen, who was born in the Ivory Coast and raised in France, sees The Family Reunion as a bridge to her understanding of African American history, culture and foodways. She has attended the event for the past four years and says, “The Family Reunion means home. It’s a place where I don’t have to explain myself and can share my talents with my people, not just certain elites.” In addition to her signature crepes, McQueen created a soulful gumbo on Saturday evening, blending the flavors of New Orleans and West Africa.

Family-style lunches featured dishes like curried branzino in a coconut mussel curry, crispy okra and callaloo from Onwuachi’s Dōgon Restaurant. From Dakar NOLA came comforting plates of chicken yassa and roff and roasted carrots dressed in an herb-garlic pesto with crispy quinoa. Vallery Lomas honored the resilience of her native New Orleans and the tenth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina with beignet ice cream accompanied by a strawberry cookie.

Saturday’s lunch turned the spotlight to Onwuachi’s acclaimed New York restaurant, Tatiana, with dishes like piri-piri salad and sofrito-roasted chicken with a Sazón tomato stew. Preston Clark of Lure Fishbar contributed to the spread with a delightful Mediterranean sea bass sandwich layered with yuzu and Thai chili gribiche and a summertime watermelon salad. For dessert, pastry chef Tonya Thomas provided peach cobbler bread pudding, topped with suya caramel and buttermilk ice cream. During the evenings, guests sampled dishes from stations helmed by various chefs or attended legacy dinners with chefs like Tavel Bristol-Joseph and Erick Williams.

Participants come not only to enjoy the food but to connect. They gather in the living room, the library and the lawn, catching up with old friends and meeting new ones. Between meals, they sip wines at guided tastings, try pickleball, golf yoga, or axe throwing, and join panel discussions that explore Black foodways, history, entrepreneurship and the challenges Black professionals continue to face in the food and hospitality industry.

New this year was a series of interactive morning “Breakthrough” sessions. Guests enjoyed cooking demonstrations from Tiffany Derry, Erick Williams and Tavel Bristol-Joseph, as well as two fireside chats hosted by Wells Fargo. The first session was “The Times Are Changing and So Are Our Wallets,” with Durham, North Carolina, Mayor Leo Williams and the National Restaurant Association. The second session was “Turning Your Passion Project into a Money Market,” with actor Hill Harper and Janell Stephens, founder and CEO of Camille Rose Hair Care.

Several fan-favorite breakouts returned, including “Jerk: The Dish That Freed a Nation” and a live Chopped challenge, where participants transformed mystery ingredients into creative dishes before a panel of celebrity judges. One of the weekend’s most inspiring panels honored the legacy of Edna Lewis, with insights from Black women chefs and culinary experts Carla Hall, Mashama Bailey and Dr. Jessica B. Harris. The discussion was moderated by Cheryl Slocum, with a special introduction on Edna Lewis by Emmy-winning filmmaker Deb Freeman.

The evenings came alive with DJ sets and live music from special guests, R&B singer Mario, legendary rapper Slick Rick and the band Bryan Fox and Friends. Friday evening’s theme was the Harlem Renaissance, while Saturday night culminated in a 1970s Block Party, where the late Patrick Clark—the first Black chef to receive a James Beard Award—was honored with the 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award, accepted on his behalf by his son, Preston Clark. The weekend concluded on Sunday, August 17, with a powerful service led by the Baltimore Urban Inspirational Choir.

To learn more about the event, visit The Family Reunion’s webpage.