Basically, the story is: Ethiopian boy and sister are adopted by loving couple in Sweden after mother dies. Fathers a daughter out-of-wedlock. Becomes a chef. Meets remaining African family. Settles in Harlem and opens a restaurant. THEN, imagine this story told in rich detail and emotion, describing a happy childhood and dreams of cooking, using all the wonderful spices and flavors in the world! The story is amazing!

Chef Samuelsson opens his life to us in this book. He expresses his decisions, both fruitful and questionable, to create a beautiful memoir. His story's focus is cooking, becoming a true chef. His descriptions of the foods he creates, and the spices used in each dish, helped me 'taste' the intricacies of his meals. His journey to become a chef includes employment and internships in kitchens in Europe, America, and aboard a cruise ship. Each port, each kitchen, offered unfamiliar foods and spices that he would one day use to create unique meals. He has cooked for the President and First Lady, and other celebrities, as well as for blue-collar and white-collar workers.

Chef loves cooking and creating. It's his art, his masterpieces. In this book, through his example, he demonstrates that education, hard work, and integrity lead to success. He honors his Swedish parents, his maternal grandmother, and others, who along the way, have contributed to his becoming the person/husband/father/businessman/friend/chef, that he is today. Most importantly, Samuelsson becomes the man he has always wanted to be; a truly good, man like his father.

So yes, this is a story of an Ethiopian boy who becomes a chef, owning a restaurant in Harlem. And it is SO MUCH MORE! I won this book from a Goodreads Giveaway. I am very grateful.