Marcus Samuelsson facts for kids
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Samuelsson at the 2012 Göteborg Book Fair
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| Born | Kassahun Tsegie ካሳሁን ጽጌ 25 January 1971 Ethiopian Empire |
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| Education | Culinary Institute Gothenburg, Sweden |
| Spouse | Maya Haile |
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Current restaurant(s)
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Previous restaurant(s)
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Television show(s)
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Award(s) won
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Marcus Samuelsson (born Kassahun Tsegie; Amharic: ካሳሁን ፅጌ; 25 January 1971) is a famous chef, restaurant owner, and TV star. He was born in Ethiopia and later became a Swedish-American citizen. Today, he is the head chef at Red Rooster in Harlem, New York.
Contents
Becoming a Chef
Early Life and Family
Marcus Samuelsson was born Kassahun Tsegie in Ethiopia on January 25, 1971. His father was a priest. When Marcus was three, his mother sadly passed away during a sickness.
During a difficult time in Ethiopia in 1974, Marcus and his older sister, Fantaye, became separated from their family. They were later adopted by a kind couple, Anne-Marie and Lennart Samuelsson, who lived in Gothenburg, Sweden. Their names were changed to Marcus and Linda Samuelsson.
Learning to Cook
Marcus first became interested in cooking by watching his grandmother in Sweden. He then went to the Culinary Institute in Göteborg (Gothenburg) to study cooking.
After his studies, he worked as an apprentice in Switzerland and Austria. In 1994, he moved to the United States to work at Restaurant Aquavit.
Amazing Career Highlights
Rising Star Chef
At just 24 years old, Marcus became the main chef at Aquavit. Soon after, he received a top review from The New York Times, making him the youngest chef ever to get such an honor.
In 2003, he was named "Best Chef: New York City" by the James Beard Foundation. This is a very important award in the food world. That same year, he opened another restaurant in New York called Riingo.
Cookbook Author
Besides being a great chef, Marcus Samuelsson has written many cookbooks. His 2006 book, The Soul of a New Cuisine, won an award for "Best International Cookbook."
He has also written other popular books like Aquavit and the New Scandinavian Cuisine and Street Food.
TV Shows and Teaching
Marcus is a visiting professor at Umeå University in Sweden, where he teaches about international cooking. He has also hosted his own TV shows, Inner Chef and Urban Cuisine.
His cooking style mixes flavors from all over the world, including Sweden, Japan, and Africa.
Cooking for the President
On November 24, 2009, Marcus Samuelsson was the special guest chef for the first state dinner hosted by President Barack Obama. This important dinner honored the Prime Minister of India.
Marcus used fresh vegetables and herbs from the White House Vegetable Garden. He created a menu that combined American flavors with Indian tastes, including red lentil soup and roasted potato dumplings.
Famous Restaurants
In December 2010, Marcus opened his first restaurant in Harlem called Red Rooster. It quickly became a very popular spot.
In March 2011, President Obama even attended a special dinner at Red Rooster.
Marcus has opened many other restaurants, including:
- Kitchen & Table (with Clarion Hotels in Sweden and Norway)
- Streetbird Rotisserie in Harlem, known for its fried and rotisserie chicken.
- Marcus' in Bermuda.
- Marcus at MGM National Harbor in Maryland.
- Marcus B&P in Newark, New Jersey.
- Marcus at The Four Seasons Hotel in Montreal.
- Metropolis in New York City, which opened in 2023.
TV Appearances
Marcus Samuelsson is a familiar face on television. He has been a judge on many popular cooking shows like Guy's Grocery Games, Top Chef, Iron Chef America, and Chopped. He also often appears on the Today show.
Winning Competitions
In 2010, Marcus competed on Bravo's Top Chef Masters. He won the competition, earning $115,000 for a charity called The Tap Project, which helps provide clean water.
In 2012, he won Chopped All Stars: Judges Remix, earning $50,000 for his charity, the Careers Through Culinary Arts Program.
No Passport Required
In July 2018, Marcus started a TV series on PBS called No Passport Required. In this show, he travels across the United States to explore and celebrate the amazing food and cultures of immigrant communities.
He is both the host and a producer of the series. The show was so popular that it was renewed for a second season.
Episodes
| Series | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
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| 1 | 6 | 10 July 2018 | 14 August 2018 | |
| 2 | 6 | 13 December 2019 | 17 February 2020 | |
Season 1 (2018)
| No. overall |
No. in season |
Title | Original air date | U.S. viewers (millions) |
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| 1 | 1 | "Detroit" | 10 July 2018 | N/A | |
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Chef Marcus explores the Middle Eastern community of Detroit.
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| 2 | 2 | "New Orleans" | 1 July 2018 | N/A | |
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Chef Marcus discovers how Vietnamese residents have influenced the city in delicious ways.
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| 3 | 3 | "Chicago" | 24 July 2018 | N/A | |
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Marcus visits the city's Mexican community to learn about its heritage and cuisine.
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| 4 | 4 | "Queens, NYC" | 31 July 2018 | N/A | |
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Samuelsson goes inside the Indo-Guyanese community to explore its roots and cuisine.
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| 5 | 5 | "Miami" | 7 August 2018 | N/A | |
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Chef Marcus explores the cuisine, culture and history of the city's Haitian community.
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| 6 | 6 | "D.C." | 14 August 2018 | N/A | |
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Marcus Samuelsson dines, dances and dishes with the Ethiopian community in the nation's capital.
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Season 2 (2019–20)
| No. overall |
No. in season |
Title | Original air date | U.S. viewers (millions) |
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| 7 | 1 | "Seattle" | 13 December 2019 | N/A | |
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Chef Marcus explores the Filipino food and community in Seattle.
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| 8 | 2 | "Los Angeles" | 20 January 2020 | N/A | |
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He explores Armenian food and community in Los Angeles, the largest Armenian community in the world outside of Armenia.
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| 9 | 3 | "Houston" | 27 January 2020 | N/A | |
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Chef Marcus explores Nigerian food and community in Houston, Texas, the largest Nigerian community in the world outside of Nigeria.
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| 10 | 4 | "Philadelphia" | 3 February 2020 | N/A | |
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Marcus Samuelsson heads to Philadelphia, where he meets new friends and old, and learns more about the city’s Italian food scene
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| 11 | 5 | "Las Vegas" | 10 February 2020 | N/A | |
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Diverse Chinese food traditions in Las Vegas and chefs who are transforming their parents' cuisine.
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| 12 | 6 | "Boston" | 17 February 2020 | N/A | |
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The Brazilian, Portuguese, and Cape Verdean communities in Boston and the South Coast communities of Fall River and New Bedford are explored.
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Books by Marcus Samuelsson
Marcus Samuelsson has written several cookbooks, including New American Table, The Soul of a New Cuisine, Marcus Off Duty, and The Red Rooster Cookbook.
In 2012, he released Yes, Chef, a book about his early life and how he became a chef. This book was very popular and won an award from the James Beard Foundation.
After Yes, Chef, Marcus wrote Make it Messy: My Perfectly Imperfect Life in 2015. This book was written especially for young adults.
In 2020, he released The Rise, a cookbook that shares the history and experiences of Black people in food.
Personal Life
Marcus Samuelsson is married to model Gate (Maya) Haile. They got married in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. They live in Harlem and have two children, Zion Mandela and Grace Ethiopia.
Marcus is very involved in helping others. He is on the board of City Harvest, an organization that helps feed people. He also co-chairs the Careers Through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP).
Since 2000, he has been a UNICEF ambassador, working to help children around the world. He and his wife also started the Three Goats Organization. Marcus is a big fan of football and supports Arsenal F.C.
