Marcus Samuelsson on The Soul of a New Cuisine

May 1, 2025

Ask episode

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

This is a Vintage Selection from 2007

The Banter

The Guys talk about restaurants being an integral part of emerging downtowns and about a yogurt shop that needs a bouncer.

The Conversation

The Restaurant Guys host Marcus Sammuelson to talk about cuisines all over the world, particularly the regions of Africa. He wants to open people’s eyes to the delicious flavors of African cuisine and expresses interest in opening an African restaurant someday. This dream finally happened in 2024!

The Inside Track

The Guys and Marcus discuss the uniqueness of the restaurant business and the power of food to communicate.

“Food is an incredible thing! Through food, people can see your passion and your culture. You can teach people where you're from and what you believe in, which not every business can really do,” Marcus Sammuelson on The Restaurant Guys Podcast 2007

Bio

Marcus Samuelsson is the chef behind many restaurants worldwide, including Red Rooster Harlem and Red Rooster Overtown in Miami; Hav & Mar in the Chelsea Arts District; Metropolis at the Perelman Performing Arts Center in lower Manhattan; “Marcus” restaurants in Atlanta and New Jersey, plus several international locations. His latest venture, Marcus DC debuts Spring 2025 at The Morrow in Washington DC.

In 2023, Marcus earned an Emmy Award for the Short Form Program “My Mark.” He is a longstanding judge and TV personality on the hit Food Network show Chopped, head judge of Top Chef: Family Style, and an Iron Chef on Netflix’s rebooted Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend, and makes frequent appearances on Scandinavian TV. He is the author of multiple books including The New York Times bestseller Yes, Chef: A Memoir as well as the critically acclaimed The Rise: Black Cooks and the Soul of American Food.

Samuelsson is co-chair of Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP), which focuses on helping underserved youth.

Samuelsson was the youngest person ever to receive a three-star review from the New York Times. He has won eight James Beard Foundation Awards.

Info

Marcus Addi (his African restaurant)

https://www.marcusaddis.com/about/

Marcus’ book

The Soul Of A New Cuisine: A Discovery of the Foods and Flavors of Africa

UNICEF (Marcus has been an Ambassador since 2000)

https://www.unicefusa.org/

C-Cap, Culinary Careers Program

https://culinarycareers.org/

Subscribe: Restaurant Guys' Regular