Marcus Samuelsson

The Top Chef: Masters winner and James Beard Award-winning proprietor of Harlem's Red Rooster traces his Ethiopian birth, upbringing by an adoptive family in Sweden and rise to a famous New York chef, sharing personal insights into his challenges as a black man in a deeply prejudiced industry. 40,000 first printing.

A Memoir

Yes, Chef

Laura Mauler

One time he was a co-guest judge on Top Chef with some other major celebrity chefs (Season 5, Episode 12), and he was both insightful and charming. A couple times I'd heard bits about a restaurant called Red Rooster, which I somehow knew was his place. And that is the sum total of what I knew about Marcus Samuelsson before I read this book.

It was really an impulse grab at the library: I love books about food/cooking/chefs, and I've sort of heard of this guy so let's see what he has to say for himself. So glad that I followed the impulse. It's a well-written book that covers a really interesting and unique journey. I wish that he'd gone into more detail about the stuff with his family that comes up in later chapters, it felt like a rich vein of narrative that wasn't fully tapped. The parts about Harlem were fantastic, though, and I could really feel his passion for the place.

Next time I'm in NYC you'll find me lunching at Red Rooster.

Jeannette Ordas

A really enjoyable read - especially the first half of the book. He's really honest about his mistakes and details the racism takes place in restaurant kitchens around the world. The last chapter seemed a bit tacked on and hurried, but it's a great memoir.

Steven Ovadia

Shockingly good. He's an interesting writer and the book seems pretty honest -- there are quite a few spots where he comes off looking pretty bad.
A great and well-written story.

Michael Hessling

This was OK; a bit poorly organized. Also not sure why I had this autobiography in my stack; must have been put there before I became more interested in baking vs. cooking. Samuelsson is great--I like him a lot, and this book didn't change that. But you can maybe just read his wikipedia page and get most of the same information.

Yes, Chef A Memoir

Reviews