Above: Ethiopian but Swedish-raised chef Marcus Samuelsson is the founder of Red Rooster Harlem and a dozen other restaurants serving injera (Ethiopian flatbread) and ive (Ethiopian flatbread). I have a tasting plate of Doroit “Lasagne” with a flatbread. During his C-CAP (Careers through Culinary Arts Program) Annual Benefits in New York, Tuesday, February 27, 2018. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
Charisma McIlwain
Celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson is widely known and respected in the culinary world. The Ethiopian-born Swedish chef, restaurateur, author and television personality is known for his many contributions to the series Top Chef Masters, Chopped, The Taste and 24 Hour Restaurant Battle. It is Additionally, the James Beard Award-winning chef is known for critically acclaimed restaurants across the state and abroad, including Red Rooster, Marcus B & P, Marc Burger, C-House, Ginny’s, Street Bird, Marcus Montreal, and Swedish Supper Club. increase. .
Chef Samuelson embarks on a new culinary adventure with the release of the Audible Original Series Seat At The Table. Samuelson and his co-host and co-executive his producer Jonathan his Waxman partnered with Audible to go behind the scenes and tell the untold stories of some of the world’s most iconic restaurants and restaurateurs. Samuelsson spoke to his SUN about the joy of curating “Seat At The Table” and what he hopes those stories will give audiences.
Samuelson has always understood the importance of sharing a restaurant’s history, which in many ways reflects American history.
“That’s the beauty of audio writing,” he said. “When you work on it, you get really close to the listener in a way. rice field.”
“I wanted to share how we got to this moment for the restaurant,” continued Samuelson. “It’s a very special moment for restaurants to become part of our everyday conversations about culture. It features some of the most iconic restaurants like Dookie Chase with Leah Chase as America’s first integrated restaurant, which sets the table for people like me to have the opportunity. It was taking risks and changing the game.She had to break the law even to serve black and white customers.Think Virginia Ali. [Ben’s] Washington DC’s Chili Bowl — It also tells the story of Washington DC and Black Broadway. So many black stories are untold. Knowing that Audible’s audience reaches an entirely different audience, partnering with Audible felt like the perfect opportunity to share these incredible stories… not just for foodies. ”
In “Seat At The Table,” Samuelsson and Waxman shine a spotlight on the world’s most iconic chefs and restaurants, sharing stories never told before.
“It was important to show Wolfgang Puck and Spago, who I think of as the Michael Jordan of the restaurant,” Samuelson said. “My partner on this, Jonathan Waxman, has done a great job interviewing Thomas Keller. Keller was fired three times and wasn’t always destined to be a chef. If she or he knows that even the great Thomas Keller had doubts, perhaps that’s something they can relate to.
“Seat At The Table” viewers know and love some of America’s most beloved restaurants and restaurateurs, and hear first-hand accounts of their dining experiences from the people they love. In the first episode, audiences will hear from Jezebel and owner Alberta about her light’s vibrant experience from Pauletta Washington, Vanessa Williams, Samuelson herself, and more.
“I was lucky enough to be a young pup across the street from Jezebel. Every night inside that restaurant was Black Excellence,” Samuelson said. “Broadway came in and I was dining with Alberta and she was our host every night. We worked with an architect and Alberta was the architect and she designed the restaurant.She was laughing at me.She said, ‘I have no opinion.’ For her, it was black female ingenuity. We come here, we know how to cook, we know how to serve and set up a dining room. That was an extension of her restaurant. It was a natural thing for her — she never went to school — but she had no ceiling. and people may never experience it if they don’t see it on the internet. That’s why he’s important. Without meeting Leah and being in Virginia and Alberta, we wouldn’t have had the vision to create Red Rooster. Once you see it, you can make it one day. i needed to see it. i feel very lucky. ”
Samuelson talked about the difficulty of deciding who to feature on “Seat At The Table,” while sharing so many incredible stories.
“Next time you can sit at that table,” he said. “It was a constant battle between Jonathan, me, Martha and Jared the producer. They are great. We wanted to do what I felt. We wanted to give depth to our storytelling and talk about the rise of female chefs like Gabriel (Hamilton) and Leah and Dookie, and it’s all about carving out eight stories and we I felt like we did it.There were 8 episodes.I wish there were 10 or 12.Jonathan and I really enjoyed creating and sharing stories.This is really I hope I can tell you again because it’s both an educational piece and an entertaining one.If you’re a foodie or a new chef coming in, you might not know all these stories. We cannot move forward if we do not know what has come.
The incredible work and inspiring stories Chef Samuelson shares with listeners on “Seat At The Table” also inspired him to open his newest restaurant, Hav & Mar.
“Doing ‘Seat At The Table’ inspired me to do ‘Hav & Mar’, inspired by Leah Chase and Virginia Ali,” he said. “We wanted to focus on women of color and leadership. Our key positions here, chefs, general managers, [and] Our bakers are all women of color. Working this way will inform and shape the next step with real information. For me, it’s about setting that table with new leadership and that’s what we can do. ”
“Hav” is Swedish for sea, [and] ‘Mar’ means honey in Amharic,” Samuelson said. “Once decided, Derrick said this had to be about a black mermaid. Many of the colors come from the water.Our vegetables are made from seaweed and other things…It’s about having that experience. There are also dishes that are perfect for the city.”
At Hav & Mar, Samuelsson not only sets the table with the leadership team, but also unlocks opportunities by leveraging Black farmers and vendors of color to supply many of their food and beverage needs.
“The message just got through and for me it’s so special. It’s great to do it with my good friend and incredible artist Derrick Adams.”Here in Chelsea. and being part of a community…it’s been a real pleasure on this journey.”
Samuelsson will undoubtedly continue to nurture a dynamic food experience and continue to move forward towards advancing the food industry. His Audible Original series “A Seat At The Table” is available at www.audible.com. Hav & Mar He is located at 245 11th Avenue at West 26th Street, NY 10001, in his Starrett-Lehigh building in Chelsea’s Arts District. Follow Chef Marcus Samuelson on his social media and support his culinary journey on his platform @MarcusCooks.
