Today, Morningsider brings you an exclusive Q&A with Chef Marcus Samuelsson, renowned chef and owner of the brand new Harlem restaurant: Red Rooster (310 Lenox Ave., near 126th Street).
According to Wikipedia, after becoming interested in cooking because of his maternal grandmother in Sweden, Samuelsson studied at the Culinary Institute in Gothenburg, where he grew up, apprenticed in Switzerland and Austria, and came to the United States in 1991 as an apprentice at Restaurant Aquavit. At 24, Marcus became executive chef of Aquavit, and soon after that became the youngest ever to receive a three-star restaurant review from The New York Times. In 2003 he was named “Best Chef: New York City” by the James Beard Foundation. The same year he started a second New York restaurant, Riingo, serving Japanese-influenced American food.
In 2010, Marcus was the winner of Top Chef Masters Season 2 and also served as the guest chef for the first State Dinner of the Obama administration.
In addition to his recognition as a world-class chef, Samuelsson is an award-winning cookbook author with titles in both English and Swedish. His 2006 African-inspired cookbook The Soul of a New Cuisine received the prize “Best International Cookbook” by the James Beard Foundation. Other titles written by Samuelsson are Aquavit and the New Scandinavian Cuisine, En Smakresa (“A Journey of Tastes”), and Street Food.
In this Q&A, Chef Marcus gives Morningsider the inside scoop about his new restaurant, Red Rooster:
1. Tell us about Red Rooster Harlem.
Red Rooster is a neighborhood restaurant. I am extremely excited to open a place that brings both the old and new Harlem together. Even in finding a name, we looked for something that had meaning in the community with the history of Red Rooster. Nothing makes me happier than hearing stories from patrons of the original Red Rooster.
2. What dish on the menu are you most excited about?
I’m excited about the menu as a whole because it tells the story of how I look at Harlem and its diversity – the African-American, Latin and Jewish communities.
3. Why did you decide to open in Harlem?
I live in Harlem, and I’ve lived here for many years. I felt that since I work with food, I should do my part in creating a place in the community that my wife Maya and I live in. I’m excited to have created 80 new jobs, 60 of which have gone to people from Harlem.
4. Do you think some of your Top Chef Masters 2 rivals will come out to try the new restaurant?
Absolutely. First of all, we’re not really rivals. Jonathan Waxman has already been up and I got a congratulations from Rick Moonen. We all got really close, and though the show didn’t show this, we all left as good friends.
5. Anything else you’d like to add?
I want Red Rooster to be a place where you can come every day whether it’s for a cup of coffee before you hop on the train, or a place to celebrate a special occasion. We have a lot of work ahead of us in order to be like our neighbors Lenox Lounge and Sylvia’s. It’s exciting to be a part of the new Harlem Renaissance. In the spring, we look forward to buying ingredients from the local farmer’s market and create cooking classes for all ages.
Red Rooster
310 Lenox Ave., near 126th St.
(212) 792-9001
