- Company
- Red Rooster Hospitality
- Role
- Founder & Chef
- Est. Net Worth
- $8 Million (Est.)
- Stage
- Emerging
- Industry
- Hospitality
Marcus Samuelsson
Founder & Chef at Red Rooster Hospitality
About
Marcus Samuelsson was born in Ethiopia, orphaned during a tuberculosis epidemic, and adopted by a Swedish family in Gothenburg. He became the youngest chef to receive a three-star review from The New York Times at Aquavit, then reinvented himself by opening Red Rooster in Harlem — a restaurant that celebrated African American, Caribbean, and African diasporic cuisines while serving as a community anchor. Samuelsson has expanded Red Rooster to Miami and London, and his memoir 'Yes, Chef' became a bestseller that explored identity, race, and food through one of the most extraordinary personal stories in the culinary world.
Current Company
Red Rooster Hospitality — Founder & Chef
Three Continents, One Kitchen
Marcus Samuelsson's biography reads like a novel: born Kassahun Tsegie in Ethiopia, orphaned during a tuberculosis epidemic, adopted by a Swedish couple in Gothenburg, trained in European kitchens, and rose to become one of America's most celebrated chefs. At 24, he became the youngest chef ever to receive a three-star review from The New York Times as executive chef of Aquavit in Manhattan.
But Samuelsson's ambitions extended beyond fine dining accolades. In 2010, he opened Red Rooster in Harlem — a restaurant that drew on African American soul food, Caribbean flavors, and African diasporic cuisines while serving as a community gathering place. Red Rooster wasn't just a restaurant; it was a thesis about what American food could be when it embraced the full diversity of its influences.
Food as Cultural Bridge
Samuelsson has expanded Red Rooster to Miami and London, and his restaurant group operates multiple concepts. But his influence extends beyond restaurants: his cookbooks, including 'The Rise' and 'The Red Rooster Cookbook,' explore the intersection of food, identity, and migration. He has been a vocal advocate for diversity in professional kitchens and has used his platform to address food insecurity in the communities where he operates.
Samuelsson cooked the first state dinner of the Obama administration and won Top Chef Masters. But his most enduring contribution may be proving that a chef's personal story — the places they come from, the cultures they carry — can be the most powerful ingredient in their cooking. His food is autobiography on a plate.