Harlem is about to loom larger on the foodie map of the world, thanks to a transplanted young Ethiopian lion.
Some folks, when life hands them its proverbial lemons, spend their time making sour faces at the world, while others make the equally proverbial lemonade.
Marcus Samuelsson is making lemon tarts out of his.
He can do that. He’s a chef.
Actually, he’s kind of a superstar among chefs. Ethiopian by birth, Swedish by adoption and world citizen by choice, he has his own restaurants on both sides of the Atlantic, and his own television shows, which have appeared on Discovery and BET.
His restaurants have won awards. His cookbooks have won awards. He was the youngest chief ever to win a three-star restaurant review from the New York Times — twice. He was the guest chef for the first official state dinner of President Barack Obama.
Not too shabby for a kid who lost his mother to a tuberculosis epidemic at the age of 3.
When he’s not “blowing up” in the culinary world, he’s a spokesman for UNICEF in its efforts to bring clean drinking water to kids around the planet. He’s also working with C-CAP, which trains high school kids for careers in the restaurant industry that extend far beyond Mickey D’s. Over in Sweden, he works with a foundation backed by Queen Silvia that tries to help at-risk kids.
I’ve seen him on his BET show, Urban Cuisine. He’s got all the expertise of chefs twice his age, but what really comes across is how much he loves what he does, and how much he enjoys sharing it. His warmth and enthusiasm make you just want to get in the kitchen with him and create something.
Gordon Ramsay sure as hell can’t say that.
And as he says on his own Web site, he’s all about travel:
“I have always loved traveling and learning about different cultures, because this helps me expand my knowledge of what is out there in regards to different foods, spices, and techniques. One of my favorite pastimes is to sit at a table and eat something that I have never had before.”
Marcus Samuelsson could live anywhere in the world. He lives in Harlem, where he’s about to open up a new resto, Red Rooster Harlem.
While new, it’s also a revival of sorts, drawing on the legacy of the original Red Rooster, a famous Harlem speakeasy back in the day that welcomed many a local luminary, including Adam Clayton Powell Jr.
“Little Red Rooster” by Sam Cooke
As a preview, BlackAtlas.com is hosting a private get-together next month with Samuelsson — music, food, wine — and they’re offering free tickets.
Here are the particulars:
“Currently registered members of BlackAtlas.com, and those who register between Oct. 27 and Nov. 4, will be entered to win a grand prize of one pair of tickets, which will include round-trip Economy Class airfare for two to New York City on American from anywhere in the 48 contiguous United States, two-night hotel accommodations for two and a $200 gift card. The grand prize winner will be announced on or around Nov. 5.
In addition, 15 users of BlackAtlas.com who live in New York and New Jersey, who are currently registered or who register between Oct. 27 and Nov. 9, will also be entered for a chance to win a pair of tickets to the event. Local winners will be announced on or around Nov. 10.”
You can register here.
That’s a pretty small price to pay for a shot at spending an evening with one of the young lions in the foodie universe, and getting a taste of a major new restaurant before the rest of the world.
As for me, it’s just one more reason to return to New York City. And that list just keeps getting longer all the time.