Still shot of Helen Gedlu in “An Ethiopian Love”

After my demo and dinner in Seattle with Tom Douglas, I was stopped by these two guys waiting for me in the lobby of the Palace Ballroom. I don’t know how long they had been waiting or how they found out I’d be there, but these two young kids were standing there with a laptop and a couple of T-shirts with the words I AM ETHIOPIA written on them. Of course I stopped to see what they wanted. Read More

I first met Sylvia about 15 years ago when she was being honored by the Black Culinarian Alliance at Tavern on the Green. Her words that day inspired me to want to move to Harlem and become part of this vibrant community. From the first day we opened Red Rooster, down the block from Sylvia’s, this iconic and gracious woman and her family were right there next to us, always providing us with support and encouragement.  Read More

Sitting in a diner car at Bergamot Station, Marcus waxes on his time in LA, rolling through Santa Monica to see his chef buddies and competing with David Burtka for best dressed at the LA Live Talks with E!

Click here to listen to Yes Chef Radio July 11, 2012

Hungry for more? Listen here:

• Yes Chef on the Radio: West Coast Farmer’s Market
• Yes Chef on the Radio: LA’s Grand Central Market 
• Yes Chef on the Radio

Cunningham believed in the power of family dinners

American culinary icon Marion Cunningham—who passed away yesterday at age 90—will be remembered for many things. For working as James Beard’s assistant. Revising the Fannie Farmer cookbook. Advocating home-cooking. Winning the James Beard Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003. And, of course, for making the most delicious raised waffles around. Read More

New plants

In a city where skyscrapers and massive buildings outnumber arable land, community gardens are hard to come by. Those that are fortunate to plant a few crops in their backyards rarely do so, leaving millions of residents scoping for processed food at their local supermarkets. Some products contain chemicals that the average consumer has little knowledge of and they may do more harm than good. Read More

Derek Fleming

We are extremely excited to announce that our own Derek Fleming, Director of Business Development for the Marcus Samuelsson Group, has been notably recognized as one of The Network Journal’s 4o Under Forty! This award aims to recognize professional achievement within a particular industry and honors those individuals who make important contributions within their community. For Fleming, that last bit holds very true. Read More

Marcus and Linda, Goteborg 1974

I wrote a story about my adoption in last week’s Huffington Post and I just wanted to thank everyone who made thoughtful comments and interesting observations. I especially enjoyed the adoption stories you shared with me and I encourage you to continue the conversation here on my site, or you can Tweet me or Facebook (@MarcusCooks). In case you didn’t catch it on HuffPo, I’ve reposted the article here, so let me know your thoughts! Read More

The Automat

The New York Public Library is exhibiting a bit of dining nostalgia that highlights the one meal that fosters an accessible form of eating out–lunch. Because workers on every level need the necessary energy pick-me-up, the lunch hour still remains the one time that you can dine together with your “work family” for an allotted amount of time. It’s defined by speed, cost and efficiency, as reflected in the several lunch deals peppered throughout the city and the vendors who come to satiate hungry employees. The newest exhibit at the NYPL is Lunch Hour NYC, a fantastic showcase of the evolution of the lunch meal over 100 years. From the quick lunch to old school vending machines, the exhibit encourages viewers to be leisurely with their time and take an interactive walk-through. Read More

Photo: David Shankbone

The world has lost an incredible talent and warmhearted soul with the passing of legendary writer and filmmaker Nora Ephron. In case some readers need a slight reminder of her vast body of work, her memorable films that give so much respect to New York City include When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, and Julie and Julia.  Read More

Smorgastorta, traditional Swedish sandwich cake

This weekend is the celebration of Midsummer in Sweden, but Swedes from all over the world participate in the festivities. A tribute to the longest day of the year, the day is filled with good food, music, dancing around the maypole and other activities. Midsummer is an occasion of great gatherings–and a good start of the summer holidays. For the Swedes, it meets our social commitments so that we can enjoy our vacation in peace.

Celebrating with others goes hand in hand with good food. Traditional Midsummer food is potatoes with herring or smoked fish, ham, meatballs, strawberries served with ice cream and schnapps and beer for the adults. However, new food trends such as pesto pickled herring, cheese pies, salmon sushi and coconut cake with strawberries are lovely additions to the classic meal. Each time the glasses are replenished at the dinner table, we break out into song and sing our schnapps songs. The more vibrant the song, the more joyful the atmosphere. Read More