Samuelsson, Marcus 1970- (Kasshun Tsegie)

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Samuelsson, Marcus 1970- (Kasshun Tsegie)

PERSONAL:

Born Kasshun Tsegie, 1970, in Ethiopia; immigrated to Sweden, 1973; immigrated to the United States, 1994. Education: Graduate of the Culinary Institute of Göteborg (Sweden). Hobbies and other interests: Visiting art galleries and museums.

ADDRESSES:

Office—Aquavit, 424 Madison Ave., Rm. 1410, New York, NY 10017-1160.

CAREER:

Chef, food service executive. Apprenticed in Switzerland and Austria, 1980s; Georges Blanc (restaurant), Lyon, France, assistant chef, 1992-94; Aquavit (restaurant), New York, NY, apprentice, 1991; executive chef, 1994—, partner, 1997—, second Aquavit opened in Minneapolis, MN, 1999; AQ Café, New York, NY, 2001, line of prepared foods, founder, 2001. Spokesperson for partnership in support of tuberculosis-prevention and treatment programs; affiliated with nonprofit Careers through Culinary Arts Program.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Rising Star Chef award, 1999, and Best Chef: New York City award, 2003, both James Beard Foundation; named a Great Chef of America, Culinary Institute of America; Aquavit received three-star designations from the New York Times and four-star ratings from Forbes; named a Global Leader of Tomorrow, World Economic Forum; Cookbook of the Year award, Sweden, 2002, for En smakresa: middagstips från Marcus Samulesson.

WRITINGS:

Aquavit and the New Scandinavian Cuisine, photographs by Shimon & Tammar, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 2003.

The Soul of a New Cuisine: A Discovery of the Foods and Flavors of Africa, foreword by Desmond Tutu, photographs by Gediyon Kifle, John Wiley (Hoboken, NJ), 2006.

Author of En smakresa: middagstips från Marcus Samulesson, companion book to Swedish TV4 food series.

SIDELIGHTS:

Marcus Samuelsson is a celebrity chef who became the youngest ever to receive a three-star review from the New York Times for his restaurant Aquavit, along with many other awards and acknowledgments. His is a most unusual story of a success that rose from great tragedy.

Born in Ethiopia, Samuelsson was orphaned at the age of three when a tuberculosis epidemic took the lives of his parents. He and his sister were cared for in a Swedish field hospital and then adopted by a Swedish family. His new family included a grandmother who was a professional cook and who taught him her art. He knew at a young age that he also wanted to work with food and took jobs in various bakeries and restaurants while attending culinary school in Sweden. Samuelsson apprenticed in Switzerland and Austria, then returned to Sweden. Aquavit owner Håkan Swahn brought him to New York to work in his Scandinavian restaurant as an apprentice, and Samuelsson remained in the United States for approximately one year, then returned home. Two years later, Swahn asked him to return to work under new executive chef Jan Sendel. He did, but within two months Sendel died, and shortly after Swahn named Samuelsson to replace him as executive chef. He was just twenty-four years old. Within a few years he became a partner, and Aquavit, which translated means "water of life," established a new location in Minneapolis. They branched out with other locations and a line of prepared foods.

Samuelsson's Scandinavian-style dishes have been featured in print, and he has appeared on many television programs, including for the Food Network. He is also the author of several cookbooks, including Aquavit and the New Scandinavian Cuisine, a tribute to the cooking of Sweden and a collection of Scandinavian-inspired dishes. Library Journal contributor Devon Thomas described it as a "beautifully produced book." The volume showcases typical Samuelsson fusion-style recipes in which he combines cuisines that include an array of ingredients.

In writing The Soul of a New Cuisine: A Discovery of the Foods and Flavors of Africa, Samuelsson traveled across Africa, exploring the foods and cuisines of many cultures, and took cooking lessons while there. Although the range of African cooking is far more than can be fit into one volume, he offers more than two hundred recipes, from the Ethiopian flatbread staple injera to Moroccan harissa, a paste that is used in northern African cooking. In reviewing the book for O, the Oprah Magazine, Lise Funderburg commented: "The desire to discover … is irresistible. Some recipes—like the beet-ginger chutney—are not such a leap; others, like an avocado fool dessert, might take getting used to. But whether he's writing about the cuisine of his birthplace or his youth, Samuelsson wants to invite people in." Library Journal reviewer Christine Bulson wrote: "A necessary acquisition for international cookery collections."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

Contemporary Black Biography, Volume 53, Thomson Gale (Detroit, MI), 2006.

PERIODICALS

Black Issues Book Review, May 1, 2004, Melissa Ewey Johnson, "Ya, Sweden: For One of New York City's Culinary Stars, Scandinavian Cuisine Is Just Good Homecooking," p. 38.

Booklist, September 1, 2006, Mark Knoblauch, review of The Soul of a New Cuisine: A Discovery of the Foods and Flavors of Africa, p. 34.

Ebony, February, 2004, Charlotte Lyons, "Cookbook Authors: And Their Favorite Recipes," p. 138; October, 2006, review of The Soul of a New Cuisine, p. 28.

Library Journal, August 1, 2003, Devon Thomas, review of Aquavit and the New Scandinavian Cuisine, p. 121; September 1, 2006, Ann Burns, review of The Soul of a New Cuisine, p. 38; September 1, 2006, Christine Bulson, review of The Soul of a New Cuisine, p. 173.

Nation's Restaurant News, April 25, 2005, Elissa Elan, "Aquavit's Marcus Samuelsson: Friendliness First" (interview), p. 20.

New York Times (magazine), October 26, 2003, "Big Fish Story" (interview), p. 25.

New York Times Book Review, December 7, 2003, Corby Kummer, review of Aquavit and the New Scandinavian Cuisine, p. 12.

O, the Oprah Magazine, September, 2006, Lise Funderburg, review of The Soul of a New Cuisine, p. 243.

Publishers Weekly, July 7, 2003, review of Aquavit and the New Scandinavian Cuisine, p. 67; June 19, 2006, review of The Soul of a New Cuisine, p. 58.

Restaurant Hospitality, July, 2004, Pat Fernberg, "Marcus Samuelsson" (interview), p. 120.