From: Yahoo.com
Marcus Samuelsson heats things up in Washington.By Lawrence Ross It's the call every chef dreams about receiving: The President of the United States would like you to come to the White House and be the guest head chef for his first state dinner. For Chef Marcus Samuelsson - the youngest ever to receive a three-star restaurant review from The New York Times - this dream became a reality in 2009. Selected by President Barack Obama and the First Lady Michelle Obama for their dinner honoring Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, Samuelsson is the first black chef to have the privilege. Find culinary training programs near you now. According to The New York Times, Samuelsson felt at home in the kitchen from a very young age, noting that his maternal grandmother's kitchen was a favorite place to hang out. This sparked an interest that he longed to gain more experience in. "I started working in a professional kitchen at 14 or 15," Samuelsson told the Times. Fast Facts on Chef Samuelsson: Samuelsson was born in Ethiopia, raised in Sweden, and came to the United States in 1991. He is now a naturalized American citizen. His formal training began at the Culinary Institute in Gothenburg, Sweden. At 24 years of age, he became the executive chef at the New York restaurant, Aquavit. Samuelsson has been feted by the James Beard Foundation as the "Best Chef: New York City". In 2006, Samuelsson published the bestselling African-inspired cookbook The Soul of New Cuisine.Samuelsson's genius, it seems, is fusing different culinary cultures together and creating something new. For the White House, Samuelsson created a modern spin on American and Indian flavors, using sustainable and regional foods. According to one prominent guest, author Deepak Chopra, Samuelsson's dishes were a success. Search for culinary programs in your area now. "Celebrity chef Marcus Samuelson...offered a wonderful selection of vegetarian dishes like chick pea and okra dahl, another stroke of cultural empathy (perhaps the most powerful one of the evening, given the Indian nostalgia for the food we were raised on)," Chopra wrote on his blog. Despite his success, this master is still striving for perfection. "Very, very few people have an understanding of what dedication and commitment to something is," Samuelsson said in his 1996 interview with The New York Times. "They have a great resume, a lot of energy, but when it comes to crunch time, they're looking at their watches. I have a fear almost of losing. I love the situation I'm in. I have a fear - maybe not fear - of being a flash in the pan." Inspiration for Aspiring Chefs For aspiring chefs, Samuelsson provides inspiration, not just because he reached the rarified air of the White House, but also because his culinary school training gave him a versatility that makes him one of the most sought-after chefs in the world. New chefs entering culinary institutes today will find that beyond the sauces and instruction are the building blocks for defining the future of food. And more often than not, this means a mix of various heritages, an emphasis on sustainability, and an eclectic approach. As an Ethiopian Swede-turned-naturalized American citizen could tell you, fusing the old with the new creates a new culinary frontier, one that could possibly take you to the White House and beyond. Search for culinary programs in your area now. |
