What do the cuisines of Ethiopia, Sweden, France, Japan and the USA share in common? No, it isn’t Zebra meatballs served with wasabi, brie, and a bun. The answer – Chef Marcus Samuelsson of course. Each of these national cultures has contributed to the background, character, and skill-set that is Marcus Samuelsson, Executive Chef of Restaurant Aquavit.

In 1973, three-year-old Samuelsson was orphaned when his parents fell victim to a tuberculosis epidemic that raged through his Ethiopian homeland. He and his sister found refuge at a Swedish field hospital in nearby Addis Ababa, where they were taken in by a nurse who arranged for their adoption by a young Swedish couple from Göteborg, Sweden. Samuelsson describes his childhood on the West Coast of Sweden as an idyllic time spent with family and close friends. At a young age, he also discovered his passion for cooking alongside his grandmother, who was a professional cook. Does his Ethiopian background have a roll in his creativity? Or, is this less prominent today? He is quick to answer, “When you look the way I look there’s nothing less prominent. I look 100% Ethiopian…It’s not like I’m half mixed. I love the experiences I’ve had, my different backgrounds. It is who I am and I can’t change it, but I think it’s fantastic. You can’t get exposed to too many things. My Ethiopian heritage is something that I continue to learn about. I am a student of Ethiopian culture everyday…I go to Ethiopian restaurants, I’ve been to Ethiopia, I took Gourmet magazine with me and we did a big story about Ethiopian culture. I know more about Sweden. It (my Ethiopian heritage) is something that I’m very proud of and I think about it almost everyday.”

Following graduation from the Institute, Samuelsson apprenticed first in Switzerland and later in Austria, where he learned how to craft fine pastry. In 1991, he returned to Switzerland for almost a year before fate intervened: Aquavit owner Håkan Swahn was hard at work in New York City establishing an identity for Scandinavian cuisine in the U.S. and selected the young Swedish chef for an eight-month apprenticeship at his restaurant. This was a great honor for Samuelsson, considering the restaurant’s international reputation. In addition to its burgeoning popularity in the United States, where it’s been called the “grandest of New York’s Scandinavian restaurants,” the venue is also held in high regard in places like France and Sweden. Following his stint at Aquavit, Samuelsson returned to Europe to take a position at the world-renowned and three-star Michelin restaurant, Georges Blanc in Lyon, France. “At Georges Blanc I learned that to be a top chef you have to have a passion for success as well as a passion for food,” Samuelsson says. “It’s not enough to be able to prepare delicious food. You have to be consistent as well, and serve two outstanding meals a day to  each and every guest”.

In 1994, Håkan Swahn commissioned Samuelsson to return to Aquavit to work under the restaurant’s new executive chef, Jan Sendel. Sendel and Samuelsson found they shared much in common and eagerly began to work on their new menu. Sadly, the two chefs were not able to pursue their ambitions; just eight weeks after they began working together, Sendel died unexpectedly. Perhaps as a sign of things to come though, shortly before his death, Sendel confided in Håkan Swahn that he intended to make young Samuelsson his sous chef. Samuelsson rose to the challenge: He worked diligently, demonstrating his management skills and cooking prowess and, in May of 1995, Swahn formally appointed him Executive Chef of Aquavit . Just three months later, the young chef earned that coveted three-star rating from The New York Times.