Marcus Samuelsson

(https://face2faceafrica.com/article/marcus-samuels ())

"We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us" ("A Quote by Joseph Campbell."). This quote, said by author Joseph Campbell, portrays the route that Marcus Samuelsson took in his life. Marcus Samuelsson was born on January 25, 1971, in Abrugandana, Ethiopia. He was about three, when his biological mother, Ahnu, saved him and his sister, Linda, from the effects of the tuberculosis that ran through their village. She sacrificed herself just to bring her kids to the hospital, and saved them. After being in the hospital, their social worker put them up for adoption. Later on, a Swedish couple, named the Samuelssons, that lived in Gothenborg, adopted them. This is the point where Marcus's name changed from Kasshun Tsegie, to Marcus Samuelsson. Growing up, Samuelsson naturally had the idea that he would become a professional soccer player. At the age of 16, Marcus Samuelsson had already been playing soccer for GAIS for four years. His playing soon ended, along with his dream, when his club coach told him that he was too little to keep playing on their team. This criticism pushed him towards his true passion, cooking. Samuelsson gained many of his cooking skills growing up, from cooking with his grandmother, Helga, who he calls, "Mormor." After he stopped playing soccer, he trained at the Culinary Institute of Gothenborg, Sweden, where he uses the skills learned there, and from his grandma, in his cooking today. Now, he resides in New York, where he uses his African, Swedish, and American influences at his restaurant in Harlem City, named Red Rooster. His many awards, accompanied by his success now, prove his skilled cooking. But it's what he does outside his kitchen, that makes him a hero. Marcus Samuelsson is a celebrity chef that's come a long way from his birthplace in Ethiopia. His determination, generosity, and caring nature make him a great hero.

(https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-07-11 ())

Marcus Samuelsson is a hero because of his determination to succeed. Marcus Samuelsson knew that "[he] had failed at soccer, and the failure made [him]... determined" (Samuelsson). Which lead him to be insistent on making his restaurant the best. Like his dad, he took 7 years to study what he wanted to proceed in. In this case, he studied Harlem. He took in what the area was like, and intended to base his restaurant off of the things in the city. Marcus Samuelsson knew that failure was not going to be an option, so he knew that, "'[he had] to be more focused, [he had] to be more precise'" (Chef Marcus Samuelsson: I Got Nervous Before I Cooked For President Obama | TODAY.). His determination to succeed, advanced, once he knew what he wanted to do. From that point on, things just started to take off for his career. He knew his plan, and knew the direction that he was going in. Marcus Samuelsson's determination helped him along his journey to success.

Marcus Samuelsson's generosity makes him a hero. After the attacks of September 11th, Marcus Samuelsson asked himself what he was doing to help. Now he, "participates in Chefs for Humanity... he is a supporter of UNICEF's Tap project, as well as its Believe in Zero campaign" ("Marcus Samuelsson." 2014). His participation with helping those in need, shows just how much Marcus Samuelsson wants to contribute to this world. He knows the struggle of what it's like to come from a family that couldn't afford to eat the luxuries that he makes at his restaurants, and demonstrates his understanding and reasoning, as to why he does the things that he does. Marcus Samuelsson also helps out his siblings. For instance he, "met [his] birth father, Tsengie. and [his] eight siblings. Thereafter, Samuelsson returned to Ethiopia annually, helping send two of his siblings to college. He also participates in... the Careers through Culinary Arts Program, which helps inner-city high school students pursue careers in the culinary industry" ("Marcus Samuelsson." 2014). These acts also show just how caring he is, when he helps send two of his siblings to college. It also demonstrates how we wants to contribute to this world, by helping those, to achieve their dreams. Marcus Samuelsson's generosity shows how he's ready to change and help out the world, to make it a better place.

(http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/marcus-samuelss ())

Marcus Samuelsson's caring nature makes him a hero. Samuelsson really takes time to consider those around him. For his restaurant,"Samuelsson let the neighborhood tell him what his restaurant would look like. He absorbed harlem's style, it's art, and it's taste" (Chef Marcus Samuelsson: I Got Nervous Before I Cooked For President Obama | TODAY.). Samuelsson didn't care about having his restaurant look exactly like he wanted it to be. Instead, he wanted his restaurant to be a Harlem City inspiration. He took in consideration what the locals would want. Samuelsson even,"walks the streets of harlem everyday keeping an eye on all the flavors," and says that he,'comes here to check [himself]'" (Chef Marcus Samuelsson: I Got Nervous Before I Cooked For President Obama | TODAY.). He cares about how the restaurant looks and how the food tastes. So now, he goes out everyday to keep an eye on the flavors, checking himself  to make sure he's still doing things right. In addition, Marcus Samuelsson also cares about more than his restaurant, he cares about his consumers. On his website it writes, "A lot of harvested corn is a genetically modified version known as BT Corn. Crops produced this way. hosts a bacterium that acts as a pesticide.. [that] may also carry health risks" (Admin). In summary, he uses his platform to make his readers aware of problems in the food business. Not regular restaurant/chef problems, but agricultural problems. Later on in the article, the author also adds, "With this in mind, it is important to try and buy organic produce, especially corn, when possible," and shows that it's important to keep things like this in mind (Admin). It really serves as a reminder to those, that we should really pay attention to where our food comes from, and the uses of chemicals on and around it. He knows that where your food comes from and what is has on it, is important, and shows how caring he is by highlighting it. Samuelsson's caring nature makes him even more of a hero, because he cares for his consumers and those around him.

(http://marcussamuelsson.com/books/ ())

Marcus Samuelsson's a celebrity chef that's determined, generous, and cares for those in this world. I consider him to be a hero because of the things that he offers to this world. In his book, Samuelsson writes, "It ain't over 'til it's over... I hope this book inspires you on your journey. [and] please remember this: perfect is overrated, make it messy and make it delicious" (Samuelsson). From this, one can gather that they shouldn't think that something is over just cause they think it's over. They need determination to keep trying, because as Marcus Samuelsson says, "Every day is a chance to try something different" (Samuelsson). Marcus Samuelsson wanted to write a book that was inspiring to his readers. In just the introduction of his book, he tells his readers that things in life don't have to be "perfect." You can have trial and errors, just as long as in the end, it turns out good. Samuelsson even tells us how, "I always thought that I would become a soccer star. So, being humble and not achieving your dream, I always look at myself as a failed soccer player.  But it was a lot of things in cooking and soccer that was the same. You had to work a lot, [when]  you were with coach or chef" (Chef Marcus Samuelsson: I Got Nervous Before I Cooked For President Obama | TODAY.). Marcus shows that one's first instinct might not always be the right one/the best. But, if they work hard enough for it and show that they're looking for success, then they can truly do anything. With that being said, I would say that Marcus Samuelsson inspires other people and I. He proves that just because one thing doesn't work out the first time, it doesn't mean that your plan B will do the same. Like James Yorke says, "The most successful people are those who are good at plan B" ("A Quote by James Yorke.").