Marcus Samuelsson
🇺🇸 United States · Ethiopian cuisine · b. 1971
The Ethiopian-born, Sweden-raised chef who brought Harlem onto the global fine-dining map.
Biography
Marcus Samuelsson is an Ethiopian-born, Swedish-raised American chef who has done more than almost anyone of his generation to reshape what American restaurant food can be. Born in Ethiopia in 1971, he was orphaned during a tuberculosis epidemic and adopted with his sister by a Swedish family in Gothenburg, where his adoptive grandmother taught him to cook. He trained at the Culinary Institute in Gothenburg, did stages across Europe — Switzerland, Austria, France — and arrived in New York in 1994.
In 1995 he became executive chef at Aquavit, the Scandinavian restaurant in Midtown, at the age of twenty-three. Aquavit earned a three-star New York Times review that year — Samuelsson was the youngest chef ever to receive one — and in 2003 he won the James Beard Foundation award for Best Chef: New York City. In 2010 he opened Red Rooster Harlem, an explicit commitment to making Harlem a fine-dining destination on its own terms; the restaurant fuses Ethiopian, Swedish and African American culinary traditions and has become one of the cultural centres of the neighbourhood.
Beyond the restaurants, Samuelsson is an author, a frequent television presenter (including the PBS series 'No Passport Required' with Anthony Bourdain–style travel journalism), and an advocate for Black chefs in the U.S. industry. He has cooked the first state dinner of the Obama administration and was inducted into the James Beard Foundation Hall of Fame in 2021.
Cooking Philosophy
Three traditions, one plate. Samuelsson's cooking explicitly fuses his Ethiopian birthright, his Swedish upbringing and the African American culinary tradition of Harlem — and he is firm that these are not competing claims on his identity but complementary ones. He is also one of the most outspoken U.S. chefs on the structural exclusion of Black cooks from the top of the industry, and Red Rooster was conceived in part as a counter-statement to that.
Restaurants
- Red Rooster HarlemNew York (Harlem)
His flagship since 2010; cultural anchor of contemporary Harlem dining.
- Marcus B&PNewark, NJ
Bar and pizza concept.
- Hav & MarNew York (Chelsea)
Seafood-focused; opened 2022.
- AquavitNew York
Where he was executive chef 1995–2006; still operating under different leadership.
Awards & Recognition
- James Beard Foundation — Best Chef: New York City (2003)
- James Beard Foundation Cookbook Award — Best International Cookbook (for The Soul of a New Cuisine, 2007)
- Three-star New York Times review for Aquavit (1995) — youngest chef ever
- James Beard Foundation Humanitarian of the Year (2017)
- Inducted, James Beard Foundation Hall of Fame (2021)
Iconic Dishes
Cookbooks
- Aquavit: And the New Scandinavian Cuisine (2003)
- The Soul of a New Cuisine: A Discovery of the Foods and Flavors of Africa (2006)
- Yes, Chef: A Memoir (2012)
- The Red Rooster Cookbook (2016)
- The Rise: Black Cooks and the Soul of American Food (2020)
Recipes in Marcus's Style
These recipes from our database reflect the ethiopian cooking tradition that Marcus works in. They are not direct reproductions of Marcus's copyrighted recipes, but traditional dishes inspired by the same culinary heritage.
In Marcus's Own Words
“I cook the way I grew up — Ethiopian, Swedish, and now American. None of those identities cancel the others.”
“Harlem deserves a great restaurant the same way every great neighbourhood does.”
“The kitchen is a place where you can rewrite who is at the table.”
Career Timeline
Graduates from the Culinary Institute in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Arrives in New York.
Becomes executive chef at Aquavit at age 23.
Aquavit receives three stars from The New York Times — youngest chef ever.
Wins James Beard Best Chef: NYC.
Opens Red Rooster Harlem.
Publishes memoir Yes, Chef.
Inducted into James Beard Foundation Hall of Fame.
Mentors & Influences
Frequently Asked Questions about Marcus Samuelsson
Where was Marcus Samuelsson born?
He was born in Ethiopia in 1971 and orphaned during a tuberculosis epidemic. He and his sister were adopted by a Swedish family in Gothenburg, and Sweden is where he grew up and trained as a cook.
What is Red Rooster Harlem?
Red Rooster is Samuelsson's flagship restaurant, opened in Harlem in 2010 as a deliberate commitment to make the neighbourhood a fine-dining destination on its own terms. The menu fuses Ethiopian, Swedish and African American culinary traditions.
What awards has Samuelsson won?
He has won the James Beard Foundation's Best Chef: New York City (2003), the Best International Cookbook award (for The Soul of a New Cuisine, 2007), the Humanitarian of the Year award (2017), and was inducted into the JBF Hall of Fame in 2021.
Did he cook for the Obama White House?
Yes — Samuelsson was the guest chef for the first state dinner of the Obama administration, hosted for the Prime Minister of India in November 2009.
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