Four-Day Gathering Featured Top Culinary Talent, Thought-Provoking Conversations, Memorable Performances, and Signature Family-Style Experiences

Courtesy Salamanda Media Relations

(Middleburg, VA; August 20, 2025) – The Family Reunion, the nation’s leading culinary celebration of diversity and excellence, marked its fifth anniversary with a sold-out weekend of food, culture, and community from August 14–17, 2025, at the Five-Star Salamander Middleburg resort.

Presented by Chef, Restaurateur, and Author Kwame Onwuachi in collaboration with Sheila Johnson’s Salamander Collection and Food & Wine, the four-day festival drew  1,000 daily attendees for dynamic programming that blended culinary mastery with cultural conversation. The event once again supported the Onwuachi ’13 Scholarship Fund at The Culinary Institute of America, with the help of partners including Wells Fargo, Amazon, Lexus, Google, Coca-Cola, and others.

This milestone year featured an all-star roster of culinary luminaries, including Mashama Bailey, Erick Williams, Rodney Scott, Gregory Gourdet, Nyesha Arrington, Carla Hall, Tavel Bristol-Joseph, Tiffany Derry, and Alexander Smalls. Together, they led a rich program of panels, cooking demonstrations, family-style meals, spirited evening events, and late-night afterglows.

Thursday opened with the “Fore Us, By Us” Golf Excursion at Creighton Farms Golf Club followed by a Welcome Reception Cookout presented by United Airlines and Virginia Tourism Corporation, featuring pitmasters Rodney Scott, Bryan Furman, Kevin Bludso, Rasheed Philips, along with Torrence “Chef T” Gregoire and Virginia Ali/Ben’s Chili Bowl. Highlights included Chef Bryan’s Carolina Peach Mustard Ribs, Chef T’s OG Crunch Fried Chicken, and for dessert, Bourbon Peach Hand Pies by Salamander’s Pastry Team. The inaugural Legacy Dinner, a unique culinary experience presented by OpenTable, was held at Harrimans Grill, the resort’s renowned Five-Star restaurant. Mashama Bailey and Erick Williams crafted a delectable menu featuring deviled quail eggs and caviar, fried soft shell crab, roast chicken, and buttermilk pound cake. The evening was capped with a lively “Purple Haze” R&B Party featuring a surprise performance by Mario.

Friday began with the Rise and Dine Breakfast led by Chef Mawa McQueen and Food & Wine Editor in Chief Hunter Lewis. Guests then rotated through Breakthrough Sessions,anew addition this year, featuring cooking demos by Tiffany Derry, Erick Williams and Tavel Bristol-Joseph; trivia with Dr. Jessica B. Harris and Alexander Smalls; while Wells Fargo hosted “The Times Are Changing and So Are Our Wallets,”  a fireside chat with Mayor Leo Williams of Durham, NC, and the National Restaurant Association. Following the panels, Dōgon by Kwame Onwuachi and Dakar NOLA showcased a variety of signature dishes during a Family-Style Lunch. Dōgon offered curried branzino and BBQ greens, while Dakar presented chicken yassa and a black-eyed pea salad. Vallery Lomas’ dessert rounded out the meal. Afternoon highlights included BBQ 411 with Rasheed Philips and Rodney Scott and “Jerk: The Dish That Freed a Nation,” with chefs Andre Fowles, a masterclass with Nicola Blaque and Lamar Moore leading guests through an in-depth tasting of delicious jerk cuisine.

That evening paid tribute to the Harlem Renaissance celebrating the era that reflected on Black identity. Culinary showcases included Adrienne Cheatham’s Lobster Beignets, JR Robinson’s Fraiche Gumbo, Melba Wilson’s Harlem Fried Chicken and Waffles, oysters from King St. Oyster Bar, and many more delectable dishes. For the Legacy Dinner by Gregory Gourdet and Nyesha Arrington, guests enjoyed Chilled Sweet Corn Soup with Peekytoe Crab, Epis Rubbed Snapper, Roasted Suya Shrimp, Beef Cheek, and a Strawberry-Sorrel Shortcake. The evening concluded with musical and cultural performances, including a special appearance by the legendary Slick Rick.

Saturday featured marquee panels, including a Food & Wine–curated discussion on renowned chef, author and teacher Edna Lewis and the legacy of black women chefs moderated by Cheryl Slocum, with panelists Carla Hall, Mashama Bailey and Dr. Jessica B. Harris. The Family-Style Lunch showcased Tatiana’s Sofrito Roasted Chicken and Piri Piri Salad, while Lure Fishbar offered a Grilled Mediterranean Sea Bass Sandwich and Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp. Breakouts included a “Chopped”-style competition presented by Google and a fireside chat titled “Turning Your Passion Project into a Money Maker,” hosted by Gigi Dixon from Wells Fargo, entrepreneur Hill Harper, and Janell Stephens, the founder and CEO of Camille Rose Hair Care. The evening came to a close with a 1970s-themed Block Party that showcased culinary talents from various chefs. Brian Jupiter’s lamb carnitas, Damarr Brown’s dirty grits, Douglas Williams’ New England Fry Basket, Muhammad Hadi’s lamb sausage pizza, and Kareem Queeman’s sweet potato rum cake were just a few of the dishes on offer. To add to the nostalgic vibe, the Salamander Pastry Team created tie-dye boozy Jello shots to honor the 70s theme. Saturday evening’s Legacy Dinner featured Tiffany Derry and Tavel Bristol-Joseph, who showcased a variety of dishes, including ceviche, a New York Strip, smoked yams, and watermelon lime sorbet. The evening also included a special Lifetime Achievement Award honoring the late James Beard Award-winning chef Patrick Clark, accepted by his son, Preston Clark.

Sunday closed the weekend with an uplifting Sunday Service featuring the Baltimore Urban Choir, sending attendees home inspired and connected.

As in previous years, attendees were divided into four “families”—Harry Belafonte, Sammy Davis Jr., James Baldwin, and Billie Holiday—competing for points in interactive games and chef-led activities. Team Sammy Davis Jr. claimed this year’s victory.

Supported by Salamander’s acclaimed culinary team, the weekend featured more than 50 chefs, authors, and hospitality leaders, including: Virginia Ali, Nyesha Arrington, Mashama Bailey, Kareem Bakeman, Shorne Benjamin, Osei “Chef Picky” Blackett, Nicola Blaque, Kevin Bludso, Tavel Bristol-Joseph, Maya-Camille Broussard, Damarr Brown, Adrienne Cheatham, Preston Clark, Tiffany Derry, Andre Fowles, Bryan Furman, Deb Freeman, Charles Gabriel, Gregory Gourdet, Torrance “Chef T” Gregoire, Muhammad Abdul Hadi, Carla Hall, Dr. Jessica B. Harris, Brian Jupiter, Vallery Lomas, Matthew Lyons, Serigne Mbaye, Mawa McQueen, Lamar Moore, Nina Oduro, Kwame Onwuachi, Ken Pettus, Rasheed Philips, Jamila Robinson, JR Robinson, Rodney Scott, Alexander Smalls, David Thomas, Tonya Thomas, Georgiana Viou, Chip Wade, Erick Williams, Douglass Williams, and Melba Wilson.

The mission of The Family Reunion is to nurture, develop and celebrate racial and ethnic diversity within the next generation of hospitality professionals. The celebration took place at Sheila Johnson’s Salamander Middleburg resort, which is one of only five properties in the USA to hold separate Forbes Five-Star ratings for accommodations, spa and dining. Experiences took place throughout Salamander’s 340 acres, including its Culinary Garden and Library. There was also a sweeping outdoor Grand Stage venue hosting a rotating lineup of meals and events.

The only African American woman to wholly own a Forbes Five-Star resort, Johnson is renowned for co-founding Black Entertainment Television. In addition to collaborating on The Family Reunion, Johnson and Kwame Onwuachi also partnered to create the highly acclaimed restaurant, Dōgon, at Johnson’s Salamander Washington DC hotel. Onwuachi, who owns the renowned Tatiana in New York City, also recently announced two new dining projects: Maroon in Las Vegas and Las’ Lap Miami.

The 2025 Family Reunion event’s full list of partners includes Salamander Collection, Food & Wine, Wells Fargo, Virginia Tourism Corporation, United Airlines, Sheila Johnson Collection, National Restaurant Association and the Multicultural Foodservice & Hospitality Alliance (MFHA), Amazon, Google, Lexus, OpenTable, Toast, Select Events, Coca-Cola, Inspire, Zigma World, AmaWaterways, Ecolab, Glad, Tilit, Visit Loudoun, La Colombe, and Nubian Hueman.

###