Celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson has always been fascinated with Harlem's lore and aesthetics.
"Any black person across the world can embrace Harlem as home," he says. And it's the perfect place for his latest restaurant, the Red Rooster. Fresh off a Top Chef Masters Season 2 win, the award winning Samuelsson has brought his culinary flair to the heart of Harlem.
“I felt like Harlem deserved a restaurant that was very inclusive that looked like the past and was also contemporary and brought something new,” says Samuelsson.
The Red Rooster offers an eclectic mix of new Harlem dishes while serving as a bridge to the historic community's Golden Age.
Harlem loyalists and longstanding community members know the original Red Rooster. The early 1900’s speakeasy was a hot spot for literary giants, athletes, artists and tastemakers in the 50’s and 60’s. “This was the place James Baldwin came to, Adam Clayton Powell,” says Samuelsson. But it was also a place for the layman, he adds. As for relaunching the name, “the Red Rooster had mystique,” he says.
In just a few short months, Samuelsson’s haunt echoes the allure of its predecessor. “Here it’s not just about the restaurant; it’s also about the music. Our basement is a place where we preserve artists and musicians,” he says. Patrons have their combo of options including a Sunday Gospel Brunch or a Saturday DJ Brunch.
R&B crooners Tank and Music Soulchild performed their recently. The Roots drummer and producer Questlove tweeted about his visit with TV host Jimmy Fallon. Other luminaries from former New York mayor David Dinkins to baseball legend Pete Rose were spotted in the Red Rooster, too.
This subtle blend of music, food and culture is the epicenter of black America and there is no better place than “Harlem World” to showcase it. Samuelsson has throngs of folk representing the burgeoning new America and reflective of the gentrified community Harlem has become lining up for brunch, lunch and dinner all week long.
History in the Making
Samuelsson aims to preserve the African American culture of food.
Culinary arts are a world that requires more cultural “representation,” he says. The Red Rooster blends all of the influences of the black world in its cuisine, an assemblage of Southern, Latin, Caribbean and African influences couched in the African American umbrella. From grilled red snapper to hearth baked mac and cheese; black vinegar cauliflower, spinach and crab soup to spiced pudding, Samuelsson’s knack for mouth-watering blends is undeniable.
The restaurant has a heavy local and fresh food emphasis. The prices are moderate, ranging from $4-$25.
Red Rooster is his first major venture under the all-new Marcus Samuelsson Group. The restaurant created some 75 jobs in the community. “I just felt that at this point in my career, with my passion for what I wanted to do in Harlem, I needed my own brand,” says Samuelson. “I love my Scandinavian heritage, but this is a different conversation.”
Besides the Red Rooster the Marcus Samuelsson Group includes: August, another New York-based restaurant located in the West Village that offers regional European fare and Mediterranean cuisine; the Blue Parrot, a Tex Mex joint in East Hampton, NY; Street Food, a casual eatery in Stockholm, Sweden where you are treated to street fare from all over the world; and two Chicago-based restaurants, Marc Burger, which elevates the flavors of the classic American burger and C-House, a seafood and chophouse. While he continues to be a partner in his other restaurant ventures, he operates from Harlem. “It’s a big commitment, but that’s what we need and that’s what Harlem deserves,” says Samuelsson.
A Star is Born
Samuelsson is one of the nation’s leading chefs, if not the leading chef. His victory on Bravo’s “Top Chef Masters” TV series introduced the already popular Samuelsson to a whole new audience of avid fans. “It was fun. It was fantastic,” he says of his win. “I worked really, really hard. It’s something I will never forget.”
He was guest chef for the Obama Administration’s first State Dinner honoring the Prime Minister of India. “It was amazing to cook for the President,” he says.
But recognition for his stellar work is nothing new. Samuelsson began stacking his accomplishments in the culinary world very early in his career.
He is the youngest chef to ever receive two three-star ratings from The New York Times. His accolades include a 2003 James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef: New York City; he received consecutive four-star ratings in Forbes’ annual All-Star Eateries; he was named one of the 40 under 40 by Crain’s, and was hailed one of The Great Chefs of America by the Culinary Institute of America.
His cookbooks, The Soul of a New Cuisine and New American Table are fast becoming culinary staples. He also has his own line of cookware.
Ethiopian born and raised in Sweden by adoptive parents, he credits his Swedish grandmother for his affinity for cooking.
At a very young age he knew that he wanted to be a chef.
Samuelsson studied at the Culinary Institute in Goteborg, Sweden, before apprenticing inSwitzerland and Austria. But his rise through the monolithic world of fine dining was not an easy one.
Once, he was hired at a five star restaurant in France, but when he arrived, they rescinded the offer because of his race.
“It hurt when I had to take the 40 hour train ride back, but it happened to make me stronger,” We all dealt with racism at some point. It’s about how you channel that into a positive experience.”
He came to the U.S. in his early twenties to be immersed in the nation’s diversity. “I wanted to be in a diverse environment,” he shared on the
www.postblackthebook.blogspot.com. “Also, the journey that black people in America have and the Civil Rights Movement inspires me. I’m a product of the Civil Rights Movement, although I wasn’t born here, I know I’m a product of that. I always knew I had the skills and the talents but it’s hard to do if you don’t have the platform of people who came before you. The journey of black people in this country provided that platform. There’s no way that I could do what I do without it.”
The Food Life
Food, culture, and activism are intertwined so seamlessly in Chef Marcus Samuelsson’s work, that his knack for excellence only furthers his mission.
In fact, his love affair with the intricacies of food and culture emanate when he speaks.
“I want people to see and taste us,” he says of Red Rooster and the black culture. “I want others to be inspired by us, and for us to be by ourselves."
The culinary maestro is also a leader in food justice issues.
His “Master Chef” win was for the UNICEF Tap project, a fundraising effort that brings clean water to children around the world. He’s worked with the World Economic Forum as one of the Global Leaders of Tomorrow. He’s taught classes and workshops to children throughout the world and values the service work he does in education and cooking. In fact, Samuelsson incorporates both cooking classes for children and seniors at Red Rooster.
“I’m glad I can cook for amazing people, but it gives me a responsibility to really share in my world.”
Why is he a food justice activist?
“Part of it has to do with where I come from,” he says. “I come from a very simple, not a rich in money country, but rich in culture. Being born in Ethiopia, seeing poverty from Sweden to Ethiopia to America, I wondered how can I address that topic?” Poverty looks different in different countries, he says, “but you can affect people through food.”
Equally as fascinating, is Samuelsson’s intrigue with redefining food culture. He believes in bringing the fine dining experience to the common man. “Just because you grew up eating bad food doesn’t mean you have to eat it for the rest of your life.” While he’s trained in the world’s best schools, he’s quick to note the beauty of day-to-day dining. He speaks as enthusiastically about the great mobile food truck culture as he does the luxuries of the nation’s best restaurants. Discussions about the history of cultural dishes and the pleasures of family recipes roll easily off his tongue. He’s passionate about breaking down barriers in food thought.
It’s a sentiment shared by Red Rooster executive chef, Andrea Bergquist. After cooking at one of Samuelsson’s Red Rooster preview tastings at his home, she told a New York Times reporter “We’re exploring American cuisine and what that means when rice and beans is no longer ethnic, and kids are growing up with sushi.”
This twist on American dining is alluring to both food critics and diners.
Harlem appreciates Samuelsson’s take on the celebration of food, too. “We’re packed every night. We’re booked for months in advance,” he says. Is another Red Rooster likely to pop up in the near future? “That love that we got from the community is something that we have to take care of and be supportive of,” he says. “After that we can think about another Red Rooster.”
For more information visit
www.redroosterharlem.com or
www.marcussamuelsson.com.
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Tuesday, April 5th 2011 at 3:38PM
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