VUE

Y ou know him as a judge on Food Network's "Chopped" but Marcus Samuelsson will always be first and foremost, a chef. His long list of culinary achievements include five James Beard Awards, six cookbooks and 32 restaurants spanning across the U.S. to Norway, Sweden and Bermuda. But perhaps equally as impressive and even more inspiring than Samuelsson's accomplishments thus far has been his journey as an Ethiopian- born, Swedish-raised and now Harlem, New York-native. VUE recently had the chance to speak with Samuelsson where he discussed his worldly upbringing, his new Newark restaurant and the importance of giving back. At just three years old, Samuelsson, born Kassahun Tsegie, was already fighting to overcome significant obstacles—a tuberculosis epidemic which quickly spread throughout the war-torn country of Ethiopia in the '70s. The disease claimed the life of his mother and infected both Samuelsson and his older sister, Fantaye, along the way. Before their mother passed, she trekked miles and miles from their village to a hospital in the capital city of Addis in order to spare the lives of her children. Samuelsson and his sister were then treated and later adopted by Ann Marie and Lennart Samuelsson, who changed the siblings names to Marcus and Linda. Samuelsson recalled growing up in a traditional, white-collar Swedish household and credits his connection to food to his maternal grandmother, Helga. "For me, it started in the home on my grandmother's side. She was cooking a lot and as kids we always helped out whether it was making meatballs or apple jam, I was always in the kitchen." Samuelsson enrolled in culinary school at the age of 16 and spent many years cooking in restaurants throughout Europe before eventually immigrating to the U.S. He got his start as an apprentice at Aquavit in New York, a notoriously high-end, Nordic-style restaurant. At 23, Samuelsson was named executive chef and became the youngest chef to ever have earned a three-star review from the New York Times. "I was always ambitious and excited about coming to America. I wanted to give it my best," Samuelsson explained. "I think about that everyday when I go into work. I still have the same amount of love and same amount of passion for cooking. If you're passionate and work hard at it and surround yourself with people that please you, then anything can happen. I'm an example of that. Success is measured in many different ways and cooking has given me so much." In 2010, Samuelsson opened up the iconic, soul food-inspired Red Rooster in Harlem as an attempt to change the misconception that's associated with the city and instead, capture the culture and history of the neighborhood. Most recently, Samuelsson hopes to do the same for the city of Newark with the opening of his newest restaurant, Marcus B&P. "I look at culture in a different way. Harlem wouldn't be a lot of people's first choice either but when I look at Newark, there's a very similar energy. It's an exciting time and place to be a part of." VUE ON DINING V U E N J . C O M 99

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