# Marcus Samuelsson
**Marcus Samuelsson** (born Kassahun Tsegie) is an Ethiopian-born, Swedish-raised American chef, restaurateur, author, and television personality best known as the chef behind Red Rooster Harlem and more than a dozen other restaurants worldwide. He has won eight James Beard Foundation Awards, was the guest chef for the Obama Administration's first state dinner, and won the second season of Bravo's *Top Chef Masters*.[1](https://marcussamuelsson.com/about/) • [2](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/marcus-samuelsson/yes-chef/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Birth | Born Kassahun Tsegie in Ethiopia; sources give 1970[3](https://www.thehistorymakers.org/sites/default/files/A2014_166_EAD.pdf) and 1971[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/marcus-samuelsson/) |
| Adoption | After his mother died of tuberculosis, he and his sister Linda were adopted in 1973 by Lennart and Ann Marie Samuelsson of Gothenburg, Sweden[5](https://cdn.ek.aero/downloads/ek/pdfs/open_skies/OSOctober2017.pdf) |
| Signature early honor | Youngest chef ever to receive a three-star review from The New York Times, at Aquavit in New York[1](https://marcussamuelsson.com/about/) |
| Flagship restaurant | Red Rooster Harlem, opened December 2010 on Lenox Avenue with co-creator Andrew Chapman[6](https://www.foodnetwork.com/profiles/talent/marcus-samuelsson/bio) • [7](https://www.redroosterharlem.com/) |
| Awards | Eight James Beard Foundation Awards; Emmy Award in 2023 for the short form program "My Mark"[1](https://marcussamuelsson.com/about/) |
| Television | Longtime judge on *Chopped*, head judge of *Top Chef: Family Style*, Iron Chef on Netflix's *Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend*, host of PBS's *No Passport Required*[1](https://marcussamuelsson.com/about/) |
| Books | *Yes, Chef: A Memoir* (New York Times bestseller), *The Rise: Black Cooks and the Soul of American Food*, and others[1](https://marcussamuelsson.com/about/) |
## Early life and adoption
Samuelsson was born in rural Ethiopia. In interviews he has described severe early deprivation: he had tuberculosis as a young child, his mother died of the disease, and at two and a half years old he weighed 22 pounds.[8](https://time.com/5087374/marcus-samuelsson-this-is-what-the-future-of-food-looks-like/) • [9](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/chef-marcus-samuelsson-on-celebrating-black-cooking) According to his memoir as summarized by [Kirkus Reviews](https://www.edgepedia.org/kirkus-reviews), he was placed in an orphanage after his mother's death.[2](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/marcus-samuelsson/yes-chef/) He and his sister Linda were adopted by Lennart and Ann Marie Samuelsson, a Swedish couple who had already adopted a girl named Anna, and raised in [Gothenburg](https://www.edgepedia.org/gothenburg).[5](https://cdn.ek.aero/downloads/ek/pdfs/open_skies/OSOctober2017.pdf)
In 2000, Linda located their birth father, Tsegie, and the siblings traveled to Ethiopia to meet him and their eight half siblings.[5](https://cdn.ek.aero/downloads/ek/pdfs/open_skies/OSOctober2017.pdf) Samuelsson became a United States citizen in 2004.[9](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/chef-marcus-samuelsson-on-celebrating-black-cooking)
## Training and Aquavit
**European apprenticeship.** Samuelsson began cooking with his grandmother after school in Sweden, then cooked in Japan, Switzerland, and France between ages 18 and 21.[10](https://www.ice.edu/blog/marcus-samuelsson-culinary-career-food-relief) He studied at the Culinary Institute in Gothenburg and began his career at the Victoria-Jungfrau hotel in [Interlaken](https://www.edgepedia.org/interlaken), Switzerland, working through the garden and all kitchen stations in a French and German-speaking kitchen before sharpening his skills in France.[10](https://www.ice.edu/blog/marcus-samuelsson-culinary-career-food-relief) In the apprenticeship system he described to the National Endowment for the Arts, about 60 commis (apprentice chefs) entered each year and roughly 20 were fired.[11](https://www.arts.gov/stories/podcast/marcus-samuelsson)
He came to the United States in 1994 to apprentice at Aquavit, New York's Swedish restaurant, and was quickly appointed its executive chef.[12](https://www.foodandwine.com/chefs/marcus-samuelsson) In 1995 he became the youngest recipient of a three-star review from The New York Times.[12](https://www.foodandwine.com/chefs/marcus-samuelsson) Accounts of his age at the time differ: PBS reported he was 24,[13](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/conversation-chef-marcus-samuelsson) while The Guardian reported 23.[14](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/may/15/marcus-samuelsson-the-restaurant-king-of-harlem) His cooking there combined Swedish tradition with international influences, and he later co-owned and ran the Manhattan restaurants Aquavit and Riingo.[15](https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/authorpage/marcus-samuelsson.html)
## Red Rooster and Harlem
After years cooking in [Midtown Manhattan](https://www.edgepedia.org/midtown-manhattan), Samuelsson decided he wanted a neighborhood rather than a business district, and moved to Harlem.[10](https://www.ice.edu/blog/marcus-samuelsson-culinary-career-food-relief) In December 2010 he opened Red Rooster Harlem on Lenox Avenue, named for a legendary Harlem speakeasy that had welcomed figures such as [Adam Clayton Powell Jr.](https://www.edgepedia.org/adam-clayton-powell-jr), Nat King Cole, and [James Baldwin](https://www.edgepedia.org/james-baldwin).[6](https://www.foodnetwork.com/profiles/talent/marcus-samuelsson/bio) • [7](https://www.redroosterharlem.com/) The restaurant celebrates the roots of American cuisine and the neighborhood's cultural traditions, with live music, hiring from within the neighborhood, and support for local purveyors.[7](https://www.redroosterharlem.com/) In a 2012 interview he said the restaurant employed 110 people, 80 of them from Harlem.[16](https://www.eater.com/2012/8/13/6556021/samuelsson-on-eddie-huangs-criticisms-its-a-joke)
The restaurant made him closely identified with the neighborhood; one profile called him "the restaurant king of Harlem," and he has said his ambition is for working in Harlem as a cook to carry the same weight as showing at the Studio Museum or singing at the Apollo.[14](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/may/15/marcus-samuelsson-the-restaurant-king-of-harlem) • [13](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/conversation-chef-marcus-samuelsson) The reception was not uniformly positive: in 2012 chef [Eddie Huang](https://www.edgepedia.org/eddie-huang) called Red Rooster "an embarrassing exercise in condescension," and the New York Observer's review of *Yes, Chef* accused Samuelsson of a condescending approach to Harlem; Samuelsson dismissed the criticism as "garbage" and pointed to his hiring record.[16](https://www.eater.com/2012/8/13/6556021/samuelsson-on-eddie-huangs-criticisms-its-a-joke) • [14](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/may/15/marcus-samuelsson-the-restaurant-king-of-harlem)
**Restaurant portfolio.** His current enterprises span Red Rooster in Harlem and its Miami Overtown branch; Hav & Mar, located in the Chelsea Arts District; [Metropolis](https://www.edgepedia.org/metropolis), found at the Perelman Performing Arts Center downtown in Manhattan; "Marcus" eateries in Atlanta and New Jersey; overseas spots in [The Bahamas](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-bahamas), Canada, and Ethiopia; plus many Streetbird and Vibe BBQ locations.[1](https://marcussamuelsson.com/about/) His latest venture, Marcus DC, debuted in Spring 2025 at The Morrow in Washington, DC.[1](https://marcussamuelsson.com/about/) The Marcus Samuelsson Group, founded by Samuelsson and led by partner and CEO Derek Evans, is a Harlem-based, minority-owned company.[17](https://marcussamuelssongroup.com/about/)
## Television and media
Samuelsson won the second season of *Top Chef Masters* in 2010, directing his $100,000 prize to the UNICEF Tap Project, which provides access to clean water in African villages.[2](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/marcus-samuelsson/yes-chef/) • [18](https://marcussamuelsson.com/television) He has been a judge on [Food Network](https://www.edgepedia.org/food-network)'s *Chopped* for 23 seasons, was head judge of *Top Chef: Family Style*, and competed as an [Iron Chef](https://www.edgepedia.org/iron-chef) on Netflix's *Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend*.[18](https://marcussamuelsson.com/television) • [1](https://marcussamuelsson.com/about/) He hosted and produced *No Passport Required*, a PBS and Eater series exploring immigrant food traditions across American cities, which won a James Beard Award.[19](https://hospitality.fiu.edu/_assets/docs/2020tributeprogram1.pdf) • [20](https://www.tln.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/TLN-ShowHighlights-NoStartDates.pdf) In audio, he hosted the *Seat at the Table* series on Audible with chef Jonathan Waxman and co-hosts the *This Moment* podcast with Swedish rapper Timbuktu.[1](https://marcussamuelsson.com/about/) • [21](https://marcussamuelsson.com/audio)
His celebrity has extended beyond food television, with appearances alongside [Martha Stewart](https://www.edgepedia.org/martha-stewart), co-branding with [American Airlines](https://www.edgepedia.org/american-airlines) and Volvo, and a West Elm home collection.[22](https://research-api.cbs.dk/ws/portalfiles/portal/66801893/hanne_pico_larsen_et_al_the_cosmopolitan_servicescape_acceptedversion.pdf) • [17](https://marcussamuelssongroup.com/about/)
## The White House state dinner
Under the Obama administration, Samuelsson planned and executed the administration's first state dinner, for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of India and 400 guests.[6](https://www.foodnetwork.com/profiles/talent/marcus-samuelsson/bio) The vegetarian menu reflected the prime minister's own diet and gave Samuelsson an opportunity to focus on vegetable cooking.[23](https://hospitalitydesign.com/podcasts/podcast-chef-marcus-samuelsson/91604/)
## Books
Samuelsson's books include *Aquavit: And the New Scandinavian Cuisine* (2003), *The Soul of a New Cuisine* (2006, with a foreword by Archbishop Desmond Tutu and later named best international cookbook by the [James Beard Foundation](https://www.edgepedia.org/james-beard-foundation)), *New American Table* (2009), the New York Times bestseller *Yes, Chef: A Memoir* (2012, with Veronica Chambers), *Marcus Off Duty* (2014), *Make It Messy* (2015), *The Red Rooster Cookbook* (2016), and *The Rise: Black Cooks and the Soul of American Food* (2020, with Osayi Endolyn).[6](https://www.foodnetwork.com/profiles/talent/marcus-samuelsson/bio) • [15](https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/authorpage/marcus-samuelsson.html) • [24](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5d59e48b1f704e0001e5d414/t/5e5d97d630220e4e39f0535d/1583192047974/Observer%2BFood%2BMonthly.pdf) *The Rise* collects recipes from and profiles of Black chefs, writers, and historians.[15](https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/authorpage/marcus-samuelsson.html) His next cookbook, *Back to Green: Rediscovering a World of Delicious, Healthy Eating*, written with Jamila Robinson, is scheduled for publication by Avery on October 20, 2026, and explores plant-forward cooking with ingredients such as teff, plantains, and coconut.[25](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/735761/back-to-green-by-marcus-samuelsson-with-jamila-robinson/)
## Philanthropy and advocacy
**C-CAP and food relief.** Samuelsson is co-chair of Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP), which helps underserved youth pursue culinary careers, and serves as a Frontline Advisor for World Central Kitchen.[1](https://marcussamuelsson.com/about/) • [17](https://marcussamuelssongroup.com/about/) He co-produces the annual Harlem EatUp! festival, which celebrates the food, art, and culture of Harlem.[26](https://apnews.com/article/10289516e5581b7fde0ca1fff3b7d427) During the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown in New York, Red Rooster packed thousands of meals for a daily food line outside the restaurant.[10](https://www.ice.edu/blog/marcus-samuelsson-culinary-career-food-relief)
His early experience of malnutrition in Ethiopia informs his public health advocacy. In a 2018 essay he noted that worldwide obesity had roughly tripled since 1975 according to the World Health Organization, and argued that global exchange of food knowledge, plant-forward eating, and choices such as eliminating palm oil from his company's kitchens can improve health and climate outcomes.[8](https://time.com/5087374/marcus-samuelsson-this-is-what-the-future-of-food-looks-like/) He lectured with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and The New York Times during Climate Week NYC 2024.[1](https://marcussamuelsson.com/about/)
## Race and identity in his career
Samuelsson has spoken repeatedly about the obstacles he faced as a Black chef. Early in his career, a chef told him that no Black chef had the ambition he had and that he could work in a kitchen but could never own a restaurant; his parents responded by encouraging him to go to New York.[10](https://www.ice.edu/blog/marcus-samuelsson-culinary-career-food-relief) When he began working in restaurants, customers sometimes refused to believe he was the chef in charge.[27](https://www.eater.com/2010/10/22/6713461/restaurant-horror-stories-from-marcus-samuelsson-and-more) While teaching a class at the Culinary Institute of America he was heckled by a student who asked what he could say about Africa after talking about the food of Sweden and France; the question prompted research trips that produced *The Soul of a New Cuisine*.[14](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/may/15/marcus-samuelsson-the-restaurant-king-of-harlem) • [24](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5d59e48b1f704e0001e5d414/t/5e5d97d630220e4e39f0535d/1583192047974/Observer%2BFood%2BMonthly.pdf) His memoir also recounts a hostile encounter with chef [Gordon Ramsay](https://www.edgepedia.org/gordon-ramsay).[28](https://www.eater.com/2012/6/15/6576659/ramsay-vs-samuelsson)
## References
1. [Chef Marcus Samuelsson, About](https://marcussamuelsson.com/about/)
2. [Yes, Chef review, Kirkus Reviews](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/marcus-samuelsson/yes-chef/)
3. [Finding Aid to The HistoryMakers Video Oral History with Marcus Samuelsson](https://www.thehistorymakers.org/sites/default/files/A2014_166_EAD.pdf)
4. [Marcus Samuelsson, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/marcus-samuelsson/)
5. [Open Skies magazine, Emirates, October 2017](https://cdn.ek.aero/downloads/ek/pdfs/open_skies/OSOctober2017.pdf)
6. [Marcus Samuelsson Bio, Food Network](https://www.foodnetwork.com/profiles/talent/marcus-samuelsson/bio)
7. [Red Rooster Harlem, About](https://www.redroosterharlem.com/)
8. [This Is What the Future of Food Looks Like, According to Chef Marcus Samuelsson, Time](https://time.com/5087374/marcus-samuelsson-this-is-what-the-future-of-food-looks-like/)
9. [Chef Marcus Samuelsson on celebrating Black cooking, PBS NewsHour](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/chef-marcus-samuelsson-on-celebrating-black-cooking)
10. [Marcus Samuelsson on His Most Important Work Ever, Institute of Culinary Education](https://www.ice.edu/blog/marcus-samuelsson-culinary-career-food-relief)
11. [Marcus Samuelsson, National Endowment for the Arts podcast](https://www.arts.gov/stories/podcast/marcus-samuelsson)
12. [21 Bold-Flavored Marcus Samuelsson Recipes, Food & Wine](https://www.foodandwine.com/chefs/marcus-samuelsson)
13. [Conversation: Marcus Samuelsson on His New Memoir, 'Yes, Chef', PBS NewsHour](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/conversation-chef-marcus-samuelsson)
14. [Marcus Samuelsson: the restaurant king of Harlem, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/may/15/marcus-samuelsson-the-restaurant-king-of-harlem)
15. [Books by Marcus Samuelsson, Publishers Weekly](https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/authorpage/marcus-samuelsson.html)
16. [Samuelsson on Eddie Huang's Criticisms: "It's a Joke", Eater](https://www.eater.com/2012/8/13/6556021/samuelsson-on-eddie-huangs-criticisms-its-a-joke)
17. [Our Story, Marcus Samuelsson Group](https://marcussamuelssongroup.com/about/)
18. [Television, marcussamuelsson.com](https://marcussamuelsson.com/television)
19. [FIU Hospitality 2020 Tribute Program](https://hospitality.fiu.edu/_assets/docs/2020tributeprogram1.pdf)
20. [TLN Show Highlights](https://www.tln.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/TLN-ShowHighlights-NoStartDates.pdf)
21. [Audio, marcussamuelsson.com](https://marcussamuelsson.com/audio)
22. [The Cosmopolitan Servicescape, research paper](https://research-api.cbs.dk/ws/portalfiles/portal/66801893/hanne_pico_larsen_et_al_the_cosmopolitan_servicescape_acceptedversion.pdf)
23. [What I've Learned Podcast: Chef Marcus Samuelsson, Hospitality Design](https://hospitalitydesign.com/podcasts/podcast-chef-marcus-samuelsson/91604/)
24. [Marcus Samuelsson, Observer Food Monthly](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5d59e48b1f704e0001e5d414/t/5e5d97d630220e4e39f0535d/1583192047974/Observer%2BFood%2BMonthly.pdf)
25. [Back to Green, Penguin Random House](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/735761/back-to-green-by-marcus-samuelsson-with-jamila-robinson/)
26. [Fish cakes and Birmingham greens were a hit at the Harlem EatUp! festival, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/10289516e5581b7fde0ca1fff3b7d427)
27. [Restaurant Horror Stories from Marcus Samuelsson and More, Eater](https://www.eater.com/2010/10/22/6713461/restaurant-horror-stories-from-marcus-samuelsson-and-more)
28. [Ramsay vs Samuelsson, Eater](https://www.eater.com/2012/6/15/6576659/ramsay-vs-samuelsson)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Food, customs, and everyday culture › Food, cooking and hospitality › Restaurants, chefs, and culinary practice › Chefs, culinary professions, and hospitality › Television and celebrity chefs › American television chefs*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license