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 is a famous chef, restaurant owner, and TV star. He was born in Ethiopia and grew up in Sweden. Now, he is also an American citizen. He is the main chef at a popular restaurant called Red Rooster in Harlem, New York.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Marcus Samuelsson was born Kassahun Joar Tsegie in Ethiopia. His father was a priest. When Marcus was three, his mother passed away during a serious illness.
During a difficult time in Ethiopia, 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. They also have another adopted sister, Anna. Marcus's birth father still lives in his home village in Ethiopia.
Marcus became interested in cooking because of his grandmother in Sweden. He studied at the Culinary Institute in Gothenburg. After that, he trained as a chef in Switzerland and Austria. In 1994, he moved to the United States to work at Restaurant Aquavit.
Marcus Samuelsson's Career Highlights
Becoming a Top Chef
When Marcus was just 24 years old, he became the head chef at Aquavit. Soon after, he received a very high rating from The New York Times. This made 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. It served American food with a Japanese twist.
Cookbooks and Teaching
Besides being a great chef, Marcus Samuelsson has written many cookbooks. He has books in both English and Swedish. His 2006 cookbook, The Soul of a New Cuisine, won an award for "Best International Cookbook." Other books he wrote include Aquavit and the New Scandinavian Cuisine and Street Food.
Marcus is also a visiting professor at the Umeå University School of Restaurant and Culinary Arts in Sweden. He has shared his cooking knowledge with many students.
TV Shows and Special Events
Marcus has hosted his own TV shows, like Inner Chef and Urban Cuisine. He was also part of a group called Spitkicker, which had strong connections to hip-hop music. His cooking style mixes ideas from different countries, from Sweden to Japan and Africa.
In 2009, Marcus Samuelsson was the special guest chef for the first state dinner hosted by President Barack Obama. This dinner honored the Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh. The meal was mostly vegetarian and used fresh ingredients from the White House Vegetable Garden. Marcus created dishes like red lentil soup and roasted potato dumplings.
Marcus also helps guide students at The Institute of Culinary Education in New York City.
Marcus Samuelsson's Restaurants
In December 2010, Marcus opened his first restaurant, Red Rooster, in Harlem. This restaurant quickly became very popular.
In 2011, President Obama attended a special fundraising dinner at Red Rooster.
In 2012, Marcus teamed up with Clarion Hotels to create a restaurant idea called Kitchen & Table. These restaurants opened in Clarion Hotels across Sweden and Norway.
In 2015, Marcus opened his second Harlem restaurant, Streetbird Rotisserie. It was a casual spot focusing on fried and rotisserie chicken. The decor celebrated Harlem's hip-hop culture. That same year, he opened Marcus' at the Hamilton Princess & Beach Club in Bermuda. He also opened Marcus at MGM National Harbor in Maryland in 2016. In 2017, he opened Marcus B&P in Newark, New Jersey.
In 2019, Marcus opened Marcus at The Four Seasons Hotel in Montreal. In 2023, he opened a new restaurant called "Metropolis" in New York City.
TV Appearances
Marcus Samuelsson has appeared on many TV shows. He has been a judge on popular cooking shows like Guy's Grocery Games, Top Chef, Iron Chef America, and Chopped. He also often appears on the Today show.
In 2010, he competed on Bravo's Top Chef Masters. Marcus won the competition and earned $115,000 for UNICEF's Tap Project, which helps provide clean water. In 2011, he competed on The Next Iron Chef, finishing in sixth place.
Marcus is a regular judge on Food Network shows like Chopped, Chopped Junior, and Beat Bobby Flay. In 2012, he won Chopped All Stars and donated $50,000 to the Careers Through Culinary Arts Program.
He has also been a judge on The Taste and appeared in an episode of Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown that focused on Ethiopia. In 2017, he appeared on Undercover Boss to find new cooking talent. Marcus also appeared as himself in the 2018 movie Scooby-Doo! and the Gourmet Ghost.
In 2018, Marcus Samuelsson became an executive chef-in-residence for BuzzFeed's Tasty video series, where he shares cooking demonstrations.
No Passport Required TV Series
In July 2018, Marcus Samuelsson started a TV series on PBS called No Passport Required. In this show, he travels across the United States to explore and celebrate the different cultures and foods brought by immigrants. Marcus is both the host and a producer of the show. The series was so popular that it was renewed for a second season.
Season 1 (2018)
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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 (2019–2020)
| 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 well-received and won an award from the James Beard Foundation.
After the success of Yes, Chef, Marcus published Make it Messy: My Perfectly Imperfect Life in 2015. This book was written especially for young adults.
In 2020, Samuelsson released The Rise, a cookbook he wrote with other talented chefs. He described this book as a way to share the history of Black people in food.
Personal Life and Interests
Marcus Samuelsson is married to model Maya Haile. They got married in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. They live in Harlem and have a son named Zion Mandela and a daughter named Grace Ethiopia. Marcus also has an adult daughter whom he supports.
Marcus is involved in many good causes. He is on the board of City Harvest, an organization that helps feed people. He also co-chairs the board for the Careers Through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP). Since 2000, he has been an ambassador for UNICEF, helping children around the world. He and his wife also started the Three Goats Organization. Marcus is a big fan of football (soccer) and supports the team Arsenal F.C. from London, England.
