Marcus Samuelsson
Marcus Samuelsson
Marcus 'Joar' Samuelsson is an Ethiopian-born, Swedish-raised chef and restaurateur...
NationalityEthiopian
ProfessionChef
Date of Birth25 January 1970
CityAddis Ababa, Ethiopia
CountryEthiopia
spiritual strong hands
In Ethiopia, food is often looked at through a strong spiritual lens, stronger than anywhere else I know. It's the focal point of weddings, births and funerals and is a daily ceremony from the preparation of the meal and the washing of hands to the sharing of meals.
dark people political
People might not protest for overtly political or social causes, but when they can't feed themselves and their family, they will take to the streets.
water would-be clean
For many of us, clean water is so plentiful and readily available that we rarely, if ever, pause to consider what life would be like without it.
holiday drunk my-favorite
Thanksgiving is probably my favorite holiday - it's a day that's American to the core and it's a day that's all about what and how we eat.
sweet texture coconuts
I happen to love coconut, particularly for that sweet and crunchy texture it adds to any dish.
knives people secret
People come up to me all the time and ask how I stay the way I am, and it's no secret. The first lesson a chef needs to learn is how to handle a knife; the second is how to be around all that food.
chef trendy right-thing
It will always be trendy to do the right thing with food.
thanksgiving holiday two
I love Thanksgiving because it's a holiday that is centered around food and family, two things that are of utmost importance to me.
desire invisible bigs
I'm a big believer in the negligee, that nearly invisible screen standing between you and the object of your desire.
workout snacks class
If you get hungry mid-day, a banana is the best snack at your desk, after a workout, or in between classes. Fruit is a very good snack in general.
mom food grandmother
In Ethiopia, where I was born, all the cooks are women. When I grew up in Sweden, my mom and my grandmother did predominantly all the cooking. Then I changed to restaurant kitchens, where all of a sudden there were just more men than women, and I always thought that was weird.
issues bills chef
As a chef and activist, I'm particularly concerned with food politics issues such as the farm bill.
sweden tradition my-favorite
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite American traditions. I quickly picked it up when I moved to the U.S. from Sweden.
struggle opportunity thinking
We struggle with eating healthily, obesity, and access to good nutrition for everyone. But we have a great opportunity to get on the right side of this battle by beginning to think differently about the way that we eat and the way that we approach food.