First published 2015
Marcus Samuelsson opens his story as an orphaned child in Ethiopia, then follows his adoption by a Swedish couple who changed his life forever. His new grandmother becomes his first cooking teacher, igniting a passion that will define his future. Samuelsson describes his rigorous training in Europe's most demanding professional kitchens, where he learns that mistakes become stepping stones rather than roadblocks. The young chef faces countless challenges as he pursues his ultimate goal of opening his own restaurant in New York. When he finally launches Red Rooster Harlem, he creates something unprecedented: a dining room where presidents share space with jazz musicians, aspiring artists, and bus drivers. Samuelsson shows young readers how embracing failure and following dreams can lead to extraordinary success. His journey from Ethiopian orphan to world-renowned chef proves that taking chances, even when you might lose, opens doors to possibilities you never imagined.
Genres: biography, autobiography, memoir, biography-memoir, cooking, food, food-writing, culinary
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: coming-of-age, fish-out-of-water, rags-to-riches
Setting: Ethiopia, Harlem, New York, Sweden
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
224 pages · Hardcover · Delacorte Press