Show 29, May 18, 2013: Marcus Samuelsson, chef / proprietor of Red Rooster and Ginny’s Supper Club in Harlem

Marcus Samuelsson and Andy Harris at a Taste of Harlem in Baldwin HillsChef Marcus just got off a plane flight to Chicago before going on the air with us and we’re most grateful to him for extending himself to be available for this interview.

Last year Marcus Samuelsson published his inspiring memoir, Yes, Chef: A Memoir. He’s in his early 40s so to have enough of substance to share with readers at this youthful age is pretty special. Readers of the book will quickly realize that he’s lived a couple of lifetimes already and there is surely lots more of substance in his future.

The book is brutally honest about the “left turns” on Chef Marcus’ path to the runaway success he is today. All of that life experience has made him an even stronger person. Marcus feels you learn more from your mistakes if you really take them to heart.

Marcus attributes the women in his life to providing him the most inspiration. These ladies include his late Ethiopian birth mother, his Swedish mother (by adoption,) and his Swedish grandmother who encouraged his early interest in cooking.

Earlier this month at a black-tie ceremony at Lincoln Center in New York Yes, Chef was awarded the James Beard Award for “Writing and Literature”. Congratulations to Marcus Samuelsson!

The paperback edition of Yes, Chef from Random House Trade Paperbacks has just been released. For all aspiring young culinarians this book is a graduate degree in what it really takes to learn the craft and the dues you need to pay along the way.

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