Yes, Chef

One time he was a co-guest judge on Top Chef with some other major celebrity chefs (Season 5, Episode 12), and he was both insightful and charming. A couple times I'd heard bits about a restaurant called Red Rooster, which I somehow knew was his place. And that is the sum total of what I knew about Marcus Samuelsson before I read this book.

It was really an impulse grab at the library: I love books about food/cooking/chefs, and I've sort of heard of this guy so let's see what he has to say for himself. So glad that I followed the impulse. It's a well-written book that covers a really interesting and unique journey. I wish that he'd gone into more detail about the stuff with his family that comes up in later chapters, it felt like a rich vein of narrative that wasn't fully tapped. The parts about Harlem were fantastic, though, and I could really feel his passion for the place.

Next time I'm in NYC you'll find me lunching at Red Rooster.