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.
Samuelsson began his career in cooking by working at some local restaurants at night and attending classes by day at the Culinary Institute in Göteborg, Sweden. Following his graduation, Samuelsson apprenticed in Switzerland and later in Austria, where he learned how to craft fine pastry. In 1991, he met Aquavit owner H?kan Swahn Swahn selected the young Swedish chef for an eight-month apprenticeship at his acclaimed restaurant. Samuelsson later took a position at the world-renowned, three-star Michelin restaurant, Georges Blanc in Lyon, France. Samuelsson returned to New York to work at Aquavit when Swahn commissioned him to cook under then executive chef, Jan Sendel. Sendel and Samuelsson found they shared much in common and eagerly began to work on new menus. Sadly, the chefs were not able to pursue their ambitions together; just eight weeks after they began working as a team, Sendel died unexpectedly. Prior to his passing, Sendel had confided in Swahn that he intended to make young Samuelsson his sous chef and it wasn’t before long that Samuelsson rose to the challenge. In May of 1995, at the age of 25, Swahn formally appointed him as Executive Chef of Aquavit.
Nine years and much praise later, Swahn and Samuelsson took a bold step into the future, relocating their restaurant to the chic dining neighborhood off Park Avenue (65 East 55th Street). Through a momentous re-design, the traditional cuisine of Scandinavia is linked with the extraordinary design of contemporary Scandinavian masters.
As the corporate chef of Townhouse Restaurant Group, a restaurant management company set up with partner Hakan Swahn, Samuelsson satisfies his passion and curiosity for all cuisines. In 2004, the group opened Riingo, the American-Japanese fusion restaurant which garnered a stellar, two-star review from The New York Times. Additionally, Townhouse Restaurant Group manages AQ Café at Scandinavia House, a casual lunch destination serving some of Aquavit’s favorite dishes.
Marcus Samuelsson has written three critically acclaimed cookbooks. En Smakresa: Middagstips Från Marcus Samuelsson was released in Sweden in 2002 in conjunction with TV4, the country’s major television network. This book illustrates Samuelsson’s background and love of Swedish, African and American food and features an array of traditional and innovative preparations beside stunning visuals. En Smakresa was awarded “Cookbook of the Year” in Sweden in 2002; one of many accolades the book has received to date. In Fall 2003, Samuelsson has released his first American cookbook, Aquavit and The New Scandinavian Cuisine (Houghton Mifflin). This book, which celebrates Aquavit the restaurant, was awarded “Best Cookbook” at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards in 2003. Fall 2004 saw the release of Street Food, a soft cover cookbook featuring easy to do recipes based on street foods from all over the world, and a Swedish translation of Aquavit and The New Scandinavian Cuisine titled Aquavit c/o New York. He is currently working on his fourth book, Africa on my Mind, a book that celebrates the food and culture of the African continent through recipes, personal stories and images that capture the soul of his birth home (Wiley & Sons, Fall 2006).
Marcus Samuelsson has been featured in numerous publications including Gourmet, USA Today, Food & Wine, The New York Times, and Bon Appetit, and has appeared on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” Martha Stewart Living Television,
CNN, The Food Network, The Discovery Channel, UPN’s “The Iron Chef USA,” and several New York television programs. He was the third chef ever to write for The New York Times’ “Chef’s Column,” and is a contributing editor to Savoy magazine.
On the philanthropic front, Marcus also dedicates his time and talent to the Careers Through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP), a non-profit organization that provides inner-city high school students with training, scholarships and jobs in the restaurant and food service industry. Samuelsson serves on C-CAP’s Board of Directors and as the restaurant chairperson for the annual spring benefit. As a nod to his efforts in supporting young talent in his homeland, he has been appointed a visiting professor at the Umeå University School of Restaurant and Culinary Arts.
In addition, Samuelsson acts as the official spokesperson for the U.S. Fund for UNICEF. As an ambassador for the cause, he helps provide support for tuberculosis initiatives in developing countries – an issue close to his heart, and the very disease that robbed him of his birth parents. In 2001, Samuelsson conceived and spearheaded the first annual “Gourmet Magazine/UNICEF Trick-or-Treat” program which brought on board restaurants across the country to donate $1.00 per diner to UNICEF on Halloween. This successful venture unites the country’s best restaurants, a global charity, and a highly-respected food magazine in an effort to fight hunger around the world.
