TCL Call Number: BIO Samuelsson M
oona's rating: 4 stars

This is a hot-off-the-press memoir about food, family and cooking foremost that interweaves a very personal story of race,identity and growing-up and facing life's inherent challenges and complications. Samuelsson's story is interesting right from the start, adopted from Ethopia and raised in Sweden he learned first how to cook traditional Swedish dishes before returning to his roots and discovering his Ethiopian palate.Along the way he ends up in New York City pursuing his dreams and finding a place that he loves called Harlem where he now lives with his model Ethiopian wife Maya. New York also acts as a catalyst for investigating and contemplating his own identity as both a black man and successful chef. His now famous restaurant, Red Rooster Harlem is a manifestation of his vision, a well thought-out and executed plan to bring a variety of new tastes to the neighborhood. Samuelsson comes across as a magnetic personality, self-confident, focused and driven. His life story is interesting and I look forward to sampling his menu next time I find myself in Harlem.