STYLE

“Wewantedsomethingthatreflected Africabutalso somethingworldly,” saysSamuelsson (withHaileandZionat home)ofchoosing theirson’sname.

Introducing ZionMandela Daron BORNJuly19,2016

MARCUSSAMUELSSON MeetOurBabyBoy!

THECHEF ANDHISWIFE,MAYA,WELCOMETHEIRFIRSTCHILDTOGETHER

WHEN MARCUS SAMUELSSON AND HIS WIFE, model Maya Haile, brought home their newborn son Zion, all of Harlem knew about it. “Everyone was engaged in some way because they’ve seen us through the pregnancy,” says the chef, who lives in the neighborhood and runs two of his 10 restaurants (Red Rooster Harlem and Streetbird Rotisserie) there. “It’s a community where we’re on top of each other, but that’s great because it takes a village, right?” For life-juggling help, Samuelsson, 46, also leans on chef friends like Emeril Lagasse and Jonathan Waxman. “We’re fortunate to have people who can give us advice and who have already balanced family, restaurants and a life of being a chef,” says the author of the new Red Rooster Cookbook. Though Haile, 34, says Zion looks “like Marcus, for sure,” the 4-month-old seems to have inherited the couple’s shared love of music. “We got him everything from Bob Marley to Kendrick Lamar to Frank Ocean, plus classical Ethiopian music,” says Samuelsson. “And I will definitely throw in some Swedish hip-hop eventually.” Incorporating their cultures—Samuelsson was born in Ethiopia and adopted by a Swedish family; Haile is also Ethiopian but was raised in Holland— into Zion’s life is a huge priority for the couple, whether it’s stressing their affinity for herring or Harlem block parties. “We have both traveled the world and lived in several countries, so for Zion to keep up that level of curiosity is a big hope,” says Samuelsson, who also has an adult daughter, Zoe. And yes, the baby is already being exposed to his dad’s culinary skills. “It’s been a lot of morning cooking—he’ll sit while we’re doing omelets,” Samuelsson says. “I can’t wait for him to actually help out in the kitchen.” —ANA CALDERONE