Marcus Samuelsson - Flavorbank Celebrity Chef

Marcus Samuelsson

Originally from Ethiopia, Marcus Samuelsson is recognized as one of the premier chefs throughout the world. Aquavit and Riingo are two of his highly regarded

restaurants in New York and Marcus has won received more accolades at 34 years of age then most people receive in their life.

Marcus Samuelsson is the chef and co-owner of Aquavit, a restaurant offering innovative interpretations of classic Scandinavian cuisine that marries the traditional with the contemporary. He is also the Culinary Director of Riingo, the American-Japanese fusion restaurant that opened in 2004.

At the tender age of 34, he has received more accolades than most chefs receive in a lifetime. He was the youngest chef ever to receive a three-star review in The New York Times from Ruth Reichl in 1995 and in 2001, Aquavit again received three stars from restaurant critic William Grimes. In 2003, Samuelsson received the great honor of “Best Chef: New York City” from the James Beard Foundation; in 1999, the James Beard Foundation honored him as best “Rising Star Chef”. At age 29, he was individually recognized in Crain's New York Business' annual “40 Under 40” and was celebrated as one of “The Great Chefs of America” by The Culinary Institute of America. Samuelsson was also recognized by the World Economic Forum as one of the “Global Leaders for Tomorrow”. The award, given out annually since 1993, recognizes young innovators from all corners of the world in the arenas of business, government, civil society, the arts and media.

Born in Ethiopia in 1970, Samuelsson was orphaned at the age of three when his parents fell victim to a tuberculosis epidemic that raged through his homeland. He and his sister found refuge at a Swedish field hospital in nearby Addis Ababa, where they were taken in by a nurse who arranged for their adoption by a young Swedish couple from Goteborg, Sweden. Samuelsson describes his childhood on the West Coast of Sweden as an idyllic time spent with family and close friends. It was at a young age that he discovered his passion for cooking alongside his grandmother, who was a professional cook.

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• Purchase Marcus' cookbook, The Soul of a New Cuisine