40 Quotes & Sayings By Marcus Samuelsson

But one of the things I have learned during the time I have spent in the United States is an old African American saying: Each one, teach one. I want to believe that I am here to teach one and, more, that there is one here who is meant to teach me. And if we each one teach one, we will make a difference. Marcus Samuelsson

For months beforehand, I fielded calls from British media. A couple of the reporters asked me to name some British chefs who had inspired me. I mentioned the Roux brothers, Albert and Michel, and I named Marco Pierre White, not as much for his food as for how–by virtue of becoming an apron-wearing rock-star bad boy–he had broken the mold of whom a chef could be, which was something I could relate to. I got to London to find the Lanesborough dining room packed each night, a general excitement shared by everyone involved, and incredibly posh digs from which I could step out each morning into Hyde Park and take a good long run around Buckingham Palace. On my second day, I was cooking when a phone call came into the kitchen. The executive chef answered and, with a puzzled look, handed me the receiver. Trouble at Aquavit, I figured. I put the phone up to my ear, expecting to hear HÃ¥kan’s familiar “Hej, Marcus.” Instead, there was screaming. “How the fuck can you come to my fucking city and think you are going to be able to cook without even fucking referring to me?” This went on for what seemed like five minutes; I was too stunned to hang up. “I’m going to make sure you have a fucking miserable time here. This is my city, you hear? Good luck, you fucking black bastard.” And then he hung up. I had cooked with Gordon Ramsay once, a couple of years earlier, when we did a promotion with Charlie Trotter in Chicago. There were a handful of chefs there, including Daniel Boulud and Ferran Adrià, and Gordon was rude and obnoxious to all of them. As a group we were interviewed by the Chicago newspaper; Gordon interrupted everyone who tried to answer a question, craving the limelight. I was almost embarrassed for him. So when I was giving interviews in the lead-up to the Lanesborough event, and was asked who inspired me, I thought the best way to handle it was to say nothing about him at all. Nothing good, nothing bad. I guess he was offended at being left out. To be honest, though, only one phrase in his juvenile tirade unsettled me: when he called me a black bastard. Actually, I didn’t give a fuck about the bastard part. But the black part pissed me off. Marcus Samuelsson

I credit my grandmother for teaching me to love and respect food. She taught me how to waste nothing, to make sure I used every bit of the chicken and boil the bones till no flavor could be extracted from them. Marcus Samuelsson

In the hot summer months, popsicles are a perfect way to cool down while enjoying a delicious, fruity treat. Frozen, refreshing, mouth-friendly candy on a stick cannot get any better... or can it? Marcus Samuelsson

For many sports fans, the onset of fall only means one thing: It's football season! Marcus Samuelsson

The holidays are my favorite time of year! Christmas was always one of the biggest celebrations in Sweden, and I look forward to the festivities each year. Marcus Samuelsson

The Swedish Christmas is definitely unique, even throughout Scandinavia. Like Christmas everywhere, it's a very family-centered holiday. Marcus Samuelsson

Cooking is in an honest profession where you cannot hide and let others do the work for you. You have to show up, work hard and prove you can do it faster and better. And find a mentor who will recognize your talent and push you in the right direction. Marcus Samuelsson

Taking dishes straight off the restaurant's menu and putting them into a cookbook doesn't work, because as a chef you have your own vision of what your food is, but you can't always explain it. Or you can't pick recipes that best illustrate who and where you are and what you're doing. And if the recipes don't work, you don't have a book. Marcus Samuelsson

I love Thanksgiving because it's a holiday that is centered around food and family, two things that are of utmost importance to me. Marcus Samuelsson

Weekends are sacred for me. They're the perfect time to relax and spend time with family and friends. Marcus Samuelsson

I would love to take a cooking class from Gandhi. Maybe I could teach him how to cook, and he could teach me his message. I wouldn't mind learning how to make couscous from scratch from a North African woman, either. Marcus Samuelsson

Since truffle oil and caviar aren't always in the budget, learning to tweak and enhance just a few ingredients and flavor combinations can help you transform those ordinary ingredients into the extraordinary! Marcus Samuelsson

I love cookbooks for completely different reasons. I love 'The Harry's Bar Cookbook' and Marco-Pierre White's 'White Heat' for their feel. For pure learning, Gray Kunz wrote a great cookbook, 'The Elements of Taste', published in 2001. The first time I read Charlie Trotter's, the Chicago chef's first cookbook, I was blown away. Marcus Samuelsson

We struggle with eating healthily, obesity, and access to good nutrition for everyone. But we have a great opportunity to get on the right side of this battle by beginning to think differently about the way that we eat and the way that we approach food. Marcus Samuelsson

Every time you use the word 'healthy, ' you lose. The key is to make yummy, delicious food that happens to be healthy. Marcus Samuelsson

Without food, we cannot survive, and that is why issues that affect the food industry are so important. Marcus Samuelsson

You have to balance, but you can be aggressive as a chef. It benefits the food. You have to be passionate. You can't be angry cooking. Marcus Samuelsson

Cooking with your kids and engaging them in hands-on activities are two ways to begin to educate children about the healthy eating, and kick start the important task to help change how the younger generation looks at food and nutrition. Marcus Samuelsson

People come up to me all the time and ask how I stay the way I am, and it's no secret. The first lesson a chef needs to learn is how to handle a knife; the second is how to be around all that food. Marcus Samuelsson

Children want to mimic adults. They notice when you choose to prepare fresh vegetables over calling in another pizza pie for dinner. They will see that food made with love and care outweighs going through the drive-through window. Marcus Samuelsson

Pasta isn't just for Italian food anymore. Now there are tasty pasta recipes found in Asian cuisine, and it's emerging as a newfound love for vegans. Marcus Samuelsson

Like all food, whether you're talking about Persian food, or Chinese food, or Swedish food, it's always a reflection of wars, trading, a bunch of good and a bunch of bad. But what's left is always the food story. Marcus Samuelsson

The reasons for food insecurity are many and varied. But part of the problem is the global farming systems. Marcus Samuelsson

I had a long-lasting love affair with the flavors from Japan and the hustling New York street vendors. And, of course, a life-changing return to Ethiopia has made huge impacts on my life in food. Marcus Samuelsson

When I get the chance to make my favorite breakfast on the weekend, I often choose to make pancakes. Marcus Samuelsson

While I'm more of a soccer and tennis fan myself, I still enjoying catching some football games when I get the chance. Marcus Samuelsson

Just like keeping a healthy diet is important to maintaining a healthy lifestyle, eating the right foods is just as important for getting the most out of your workout. Marcus Samuelsson

Whether you're on a diet, or you're looking for a go-to one bowl dinner recipe, salads should be thought of as crowd-pleasers, not a dreaded component of a meal. Marcus Samuelsson

Since the gluten-free diet is not for everyone, it's recommended that you stick with a gluten-free diet for at least 3 weeks first to see if it works for you. Marcus Samuelsson

Not only are pasta dishes delicious, but they are also great, easy options for a quick dinner during a busy weekday. Marcus Samuelsson

I've been lucky to travel and work all over the world through the lens of the back of the house, and I love that monocle. I love that lens, because it's real people. Marcus Samuelsson

It's often hard for us to imagine going without some of our luxuries like travel, dining out, or Internet, much less our basic necessities like food and water. But try for a minute to imagine how life would be with such deprivations. Marcus Samuelsson

Being an Ethiopian-born, Swedish-raised chef, there's nothing traditional about my Thanksgiving spread. Marcus Samuelsson

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite American traditions. I quickly picked it up when I moved to the U.S. from Sweden. Marcus Samuelsson

Thanksgiving is probably my favorite holiday - it's a day that's American to the core and it's a day that's all about what and how we eat. Marcus Samuelsson

I came into this environment where there was so much love, so much positive energy. I never heard my parents say, 'We have adopted kids.' The minute my sister Linda and I landed in Sweden, we were their kids. Marcus Samuelsson

They say never trust a skinny chef, but the fact is, to stay healthy when you're a chef means you have to work twice as hard. Marcus Samuelsson

Casseroles don't have to be about canned ingredients and vegetables you normally wouldn't even think of eating alone, much less stuck in between layers of sauce and breadcrumbs. They can vary from everyone's favorite all-time casserole, macaroni and cheese, to the ultimate English casserole, Shepherd's Pie. Marcus Samuelsson