After making his name at Sydney’s Momofuku Seiobo, last spring Paul Carmichael opened Kabawa—the hospitality group’s first New York restaurant in six years. The Barbados-born chef has since turned the East Village hotspot into an experimental love letter to the Caribbean.
What do you want to see more of in your industry?
More collaboration. If restaurants and hospitality workers of all levels could at least work towards having one voice, that would be amazing. We’re a grossly underpaid sector that is a huge part of the economy.
What’s one work of art that got you through an important moment in your life?
I want to use my dad here, to be honest. If it wasn’t for some sage advice from my father, I never would have moved to Sydney, and if I had never moved to Sydney, I wouldn’t be in the position I’m in now. So, thanks Pops, you’re my book of inspiration.
What would you like the headline of your obituary to be?
“Avid Dog Lover Dies Peacefully in His Cellar Full of Rare and Expensive Wine. Too Bad He Couldn’t Drink It All With Friends and Family.”
What are you looking forward to this year?
Growing with my team and watching Kabawa mature so we can share more of the Caribbean culture through food and hospitality.
What keeps you up at night?
Thinking of a road to retirement, and my tiny bar that I’ll open when I want to (eight-person venue, max).
What do you think is your biggest contribution to culture?
Not really sure if I’m contributing to culture, but I am providing a space that highlights and celebrates a specific culture. The goal is to make that more recognized and appreciated globally.
What’s something people get wrong about you?
The NFL has snubbed me for years. They could have had an excellent wide receiver. Still not too late, Pats!
Where do you feel most at home?
Wherever there’s a bed and temperature control.
What is your biggest vice? Your greatest virtue?
My biggest vice is probably the same as my greatest virtue, which is being obsessive over work. I’m a true workaholic, and it’s what’s gotten me so far, but also has limited my availability to be with the people I love.
What’s been the hardest part of your career so far?
While this career has been incredibly joyous and gratifying, nothing that is good comes easy. My whole career has been a series of failures and hardships that have led me to learn and improve to find success.
To read more from the 2026 CULT100 honorees, see the full list here.
in your life?
