Yes, Chef

A Memoir

By: Marcus Samuelsson

Narrated by: Marcus Samuelsson

Length: 11 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

JAMES BEARD AWARD NOMINEE • NAMED ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY VOGUE • NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

“One of the great culinary stories of our time.”—Dwight Garner, The New York Times

It begins with a simple ritual: Every Saturday afternoon, a boy who loves to cook walks to his grandmother’s house and helps her prepare a roast chicken for dinner. The grandmother is Swedish, a retired domestic. The boy is Ethiopian and adopted, and he will grow up to become the world-renowned chef Marcus Samuelsson. This book is his love letter to food and family in all its manifestations.

Marcus Samuelsson was only three years old when he, his mother, and his sister—all battling tuberculosis—walked seventy-five miles to a hospital in the Ethiopian capital city of Addis Adaba. Tragically, his mother succumbed to the disease shortly after she arrived, but Marcus and his sister recovered, and one year later they were welcomed into a loving middle-class white family in Göteborg, Sweden. It was there that Marcus’s new grandmother, Helga, sparked in him a lifelong passion for food and cooking with her pan-fried herring, her freshly baked bread, and her signature roast chicken. From a very early age, there was little question what Marcus was going to be when he grew up.

Yes, Chef chronicles Marcus Samuelsson’s remarkable journey from Helga’s humble kitchen to some of the most demanding and cutthroat restaurants in Switzerland and France, from his grueling stints on cruise ships to his arrival in New York City, where his outsize talent and ambition finally come together at Aquavit, earning him a coveted New York Times three-star rating at the age of twenty-four. But Samuelsson’s career of “chasing flavors,” as he calls it, had only just begun—in the intervening years, there have been White House state dinners, career crises, reality show triumphs and, most important, the opening of the beloved Red Rooster in Harlem. At Red Rooster, Samuelsson has fufilled his dream of creating a truly diverse, multiracial dining room—a place where presidents and prime ministers rub elbows with jazz musicians, aspiring artists, bus drivers, and nurses. It is a place where an orphan from Ethiopia, raised in Sweden, living in America, can feel at home.

With disarming honesty and intimacy, Samuelsson also opens up about his failures—the price of ambition, in human terms—and recounts his emotional journey, as a grown man, to meet the father he never knew. Yes, Chef is a tale of personal discovery, unshakable determination, and the passionate, playful pursuit of flavors—one man’s struggle to find a place for himself in the kitchen, and in the world.

Praise for Yes, Chef

“Such an interesting life, told with touching modesty and remarkable candor.”—Ruth Reichl

“Marcus Samuelsson has an incomparable story, a quiet bravery, and a lyrical and discreetly glittering style—in the kitchen and on the page. I liked this book so very, very much.”—Gabrielle Hamilton

“Plenty of celebrity chefs have a compelling story to tell, but none of them can top [this] one.”—The Wall Street Journal

“Red Rooster’s arrival in Harlem brought with it a chef who has reinvigorated and reimagined what it means to be American. In his famed dishes, and now in this memoir, Marcus Samuelsson tells a story that reaches past racial and national divides to the foundations of family, hope, and downright good food.”—President Bill Clinton

©2012 Marcus Samuelsson (P)2012 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"The Red Rooster's arrival in Harlem brought with it a chef who has reinvigorated and reimagined what it means to be American. In his famed dishes, and now in this memoir, Marcus Samuelsson tells a story that reaches past racial and national divides to the foundations of family, hope, and downright good food." (President Bill Clinton)

"I've read a lot of chefs' books, but never anything like this one. Marcus Samuelsson has had such an interesting life, and he talks about it with touching modesty and remarkable candor. I couldn't put this book down." (Ruth Reichl, best-selling author of Tender at the Bone)

"Marcus Samuelsson has an incomparable story, a quiet bravery, and a lyrical and discreetly glittering style - in the kitchen and on the page. I liked this book so very, very much." (Gabrielle Hamilton, best-selling author of Blood, Bones, & Butter)

Amazing journey from Africa to Sweden to US

Marcus Samuelsson takes us through the joy and heartaches of becoming a fantastic chef and helping to change the perception of great cuisine around the world.

Authentic and Flavorful

Such a rich and flavorful book. Just like the experience of Marcus’s food he takes you through a journey of tears, laughter, hope, and inspiration. It get down to the core.

Not Just the Food

I first read chef Samuelsson’s book when it was published in 2012 but listening to the Chef tell his experiences was a completely unexpected joy!
I highly recommend purchasing the audible and let yourself be transported to wide ranges around the world.
Brilliant!

INTERESTING LISTEN

A nice listen running through the world of the old school culinary path. Some heartbreak and some fascinating soul searching segments. I will probably listen again. I suggest this one for those looking for a glimpse in the up and downs of this beast of an industry known as hospitality.

A fun and inspiring civics lesson

I initially chose this book expecting to read a few good stories about food and anecdotes about people in the industry. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the chef has pulled off the rare feat of infusing this account of his quest for flavors with compelling (but not preachy) lessons about life.

Chef Samuelsson's accent (mostly stress patterns and unorthodox pronunciation of certain words and groupings) takes a little getting used to, but his lovely voice, command of the various foreign languages mentioned in the book, and emotional connection to the story make the adjustment easier, and more importantly, are unlikely to be found in narrators for hire that quite a few long-time Audible listeners complain about.

This is *not* one of those memoirs that practically anyone with some measure of media exposure seems to be hacking out these days and whose content is probably not even worth the paper and ink that went into the production of the physical volume. The writing and the way Chef Samuelsson frame the narrative were excellent and reflected the same incredible focus that has earned him well-deserved accolades and success. I will let my fellow listeners get acquainted with the wonderful details of the story, especially the chef's family, but I must express my admiration for their uncommon decency and work ethic.

Listen to this book!

Where does Yes, Chef rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This audibook is in my all-time top 10. Another reader's review led me to it (thank you!) and I was blown away by the content and the wonderful narration. Mr. Samuelsson is thoughtful and perceptive, telling his story with clarity and a desire to tell the truth about the industry and, more importantly, about himself.

What did you like best about this story?

What's not to like! The story of a Swedish couple creating a family, adopting two siblings (just recovered from tuberculosis) from Ethopia who would join their other foster child. The way they created a home for their children, from teaching Markus how to fish and how to cook, was beautiful. Throughout the book, Markus writes of his grandmother and parents' unconditional, but practical, love. Markus writes about his search for "flavours". He writes about the traditional European training for chefs. And, he writes about New York City. I loved this inside view of restaurants I have read about in the pages of Gourmet and Bon Appetit. Fabulous! Along the way, Mr. Samuelsson writes about the paucity of black chefs in top-ranked kitchens around the world and about his journey to bring "flavours" of the world to unique experiences of gourmet cuisine.

Which scene was your favorite?

There are so many but two stand out in my mind. The first is Mr. Samuelsson's encounter with Gordon Ramsay - you'll have to listen to the book to understand how this encounter incorporates so many elements of Markus's journey as a man and as a top chef.

The other scene is Markus and Maya's wedding in Ethopia - again, these scenes contain so many of the elements of his personal journey. I loved the sense of colour, texture, flavours, and joy he is able to convey through his writing.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I loved this book! It made me cry and it made me laugh. It inspired me and it made me think.

Any additional comments?

Often, when an author narrates his/her own book, the result can be lacklustre. This is definitely NOT the case here. Mr. Samuelsson is the very best person for the task - he brings his desire for excellence to it, along with his lovely voice.

In all, this book has everything: a fascinating story about the world of top chefs as well as the search for excellence and identity. Along the way, something truly alchemical happens - the result is far more than the sum of its parts.

Loved it

It's a really intriguing book and I liked it more than I thought I would. It really gives an insight to a chef's life and how hard working and passionate one needs to be to make it in that world. Thanks to Marcus for giving us your story.

Great story by a great chef

I've been a long time fan of the cooking channels, so when I saw this book by a chef I've admired because of his story and cooking skills, I was thrilled to read this book.  'YES CHEF' does more than just NOT disappoint, it was a mind opening and heart rendering story of skill, talent, and determination.

Marcus Samuelsson was born in Ethiopia where he contracted TB with his Mom and sister.  His mom walked many miles to get her children medical treatment, only to die of TB herself.  At two years of age, Marcus survived TB and was taken in by a nurse.  Desperately wanting a son, a Swedish family adopted Marcus and his sister.  In Sweden, Marcus began his life of diversity as a black child in a white family, but more importantly, he began his love of food and cooking while helping his grandmother in the kitchen.

Thus begins this very informative and emotional look into the life of a great chef, and a groundbreaking winning chef no less!  Marcus tells how he made his way around the world, learning about new foods.  How he tasted and tweaked recipes, writing down all his ideas and experiences along his travels. As a black chef, he had to prove his value to any restaurant. Along the way, he made good friends and a couple of difficult relationships.

This story of a poor sick orphan boy who worked, tasted and cooked his way into top cooking shows like Top Chef and Chopped, cooked in the White House for the President of the USA, and opened one of the first fine dining restaurants in revitalized Harlem, is a must read for any foodie!  'YES CHEF' would be interesting just because of it's factual information, but it actually reads like a fast passed novel! A spectacular read!!

Inspired

All I can think to say about this book is "gratitude" I am grateful to Marcus for sharing his story.

great story!

liked that it was read by the author; that made it seem much more personal.