Marcus Samuelsson's New Cookbook Reminds Us That Black Cuisine Matters

P A R T COOKBOOK, PART HISTORY

book, part chronicle of today’s Black chefs, Chef Marcus Samuelsson’s new book, The Rise: Black Cooks and the Soul of American Food, is an ode to the complexity of Black cuisine. Released on October 27th, it’s also a call for society to recognize the contributions of this cuisine, a mission standing on three pillars: “authorship of our food and rituals; memory of history, where we started, and where we’ve gone; and aspiration for the future.”

The story of where the James Beard Awardwinning chef — once named Best New Chef in New York City by the foundation — started and where he’s gone is equally complex. Born in wartorn Ethiopia, he was adopted by a family from Gothenburg, Sweden, where he was raised. In 1994, after studying at the culinary institute there and apprenticing in Europe, Samuelsson came to the United States at age 23, apprenticing at Aquavit in New York. By 2003, he garnered that nod from James Beard as Aquavit’s executive chef, and he went on to open his critically acclaimed signature restaurant, Red Rooster, in Harlem in 2010, which has expanded to Overtown, a historically Black neighborhood in Miami.

Over the years, Samuelsson, a married father of one, has used his ever-expanding platform — TV shows, podcasts, best-selling books — to champion causes near to his heart as well as share his story and that of those like him: immigrants and chefs of color.

But, The Rise, which features 150 recipes alongside profi les of Black chefs, writers, and activists, is perhaps his most ambitious project to date. Written with Osayi Endolyn with recipes with Yewande Komolafe and Tamie Cook, the sheer depth of research is astounding. The recipes are diverse, and, throughout, Samuelsson’s commitment to the subject shines ever bright.

Shondaland sat down with Samuelsson, 49, to discuss why Black food matters (as he states in his author’s note) so much, being a New York restaurant owner during the pandemic and what it’s like facing 50.

CHELSEA GREENWOOD: When and why did you fi rst decide to create a book like The Rise?

MARCUS SAMUELSSON: The work itself started four years ago. But I think it's been an evolution. Coming up as a young Black chef, there were very few books that spoke to my aspiration. But the other thing I noticed was the enormous amount that Black people contributed to American food. But when I would read about American food, it was like Black people were written out of history. So, this is an opportunity to really document where aspiration meets inspiration, but also authorship. I know that this book is going to get documented, which means that it's now part of something. So it sets a legacy.

CG: Why do you think Black writers, musicians, athletes, etc., have earned recognition where Black cooks have not?

MS: We were brought here to work in the fi elds, and cooking and serving, right? When we had the opportunity eventually to go to college and get professions, there were the fi ve professions that our parents or grandparents wanted us to go into: lawyer, doctor, etc. We're the only ethnicity that has a stigma around serving, because we were the serving class. We also didn't have access to fi nance, to banks. So, very often, our food also didn't matter, although most of the food came from us.

When you think about the origins of barbecue, it comes from Africa. You think about the incredible brilliance of the slaves when they brought over the rice, okra, peanuts, etc. When you think

about Southern American food and American food, you cannot write out Black people. We are the originals of that. It is as clear to me as Black contribution to music. You can't imagine jazz without African-Americans; you can't imagine hip-hop without the African-American contribution. And it's the same. You can’t talk about American food without the contribution of Black people.

CG: Does the book’s title refer to the past rise of Black food, the future of it or both?

MS: It really talks about the past, present and future rise. It was important to include the AfricanAmerican women that have many diff erent roles in this, and it has not been written into American food history as it should. That’s the past. But it's really connected to the present because what's happening now is the same thing. I think about Leah Chase: A lot of the Civil Rights movement was planned in her restaurant. Then there's a young cook in the book, Patricia, she’s 18 years old. The oldest person is 96, and the youngest is 18. I take a lot of pride in that because you see the past and the future.

CG: What does an equitable American food landscape look like to you? Is it Black celebrity chefs, Black-owned restaurants winning Michelin stars, etc.? Or is it something more substantive?

MS: We're in a very important time right now. During Covid and post-Covid, I can see the biggest innovation coming out of it. I see Black chefs being part of leading that path, because we always come through struggles, and out of struggles comes great things. What's real here is that we have to have access to capital. My goal with The Rise is to create a Rise residence program, where we pick a chef for two years that can go away and have a residence and think about her work or his work, and come back to us and upload.

The rise of a celebrity chef — all of those things are important, even if they sound superfi cial, They're important because of the combination between aspiring and inspires. We've had it in writing; we've had it in music. We've had it in all other creative fi elds, so we need it [with food].

But, more importantly, post-Covid, what does

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that look like? And we have to have a seat at the table and a meaningful seat. You see this dialogue happening everywhere, and I just want to make sure that it continues. www.shondaland.com/live/travel-food/a34484073/ marcus-samuelssons-new-cookbook-reminds-us-thatblack-cuisine-matters

Image credit: https://bookshop.org/books/the-riseblack-cooks-and-the-soul-of-american-food-acookbook/9780316480680