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Marcus Samuelsson has seen the world through his adoption story and his culinary pursuits. In 1973, three-year-old Marcus Samuelsson was orphaned when his mother fell victim to a tuberculosis epidemic that raged through his Ethiopian 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. In his culinary pursuits, Marcus Samuelsson has received more accolades than most chefs receive in a lifetime: He was the youngest chef ever to receive a three-star restaurant review from The New York Times from Ruth Reichl in 1995. Samuelsson has received the great honor of “Best Chef: New York City” from the James Beard Foundation and the James Beard Foundation also honored him as best “Rising Star Chef.” Samuelsson, chef and co-owner of Restaurant Aquavit, is proud of Aquavit’s consecutive four-star ratings in Forbes’ annual “All-Star Eateries” feature. Samuelsson’s first American cookbook Aquavit and The New Scandinavian Cuisine was released by Houghton Mifflin in October 2003. On the philanthropic front, Samuelsson furthers his commitment to children by acting as the official spokesperson for a partnership between Dawn Dishwashing Liquid Antibacterial Hand Soap and the U.S. Fund for UNICEF. Samuelsson 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 also serves on C-CAP’s advisory board and as the restaurant chairperson for the annual spring benefit.
