How Marcus Samuelsson Captured The Culture Of Harlem To Create Red Rooster

By: Margaret Rhodes

The acclaimed restaurateur, author of the new book Yes, Chef and Most Creative People 2012 honoree used a pan-cultural assortment of neighborhood inspirations to create the lauded Harlem restaurant, Red Rooster, Here are some of them.

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Samuelsson appears in Fast Company’s June 2012 100 Most Creative People issue. Click here to browse the full MCP list.
After a celebrated run as executive chef at Aquavit Restaurant, the Ethiopia-born Marcus Samuels­son performed gustatory magic in Harlem: In a neighborhood that didn’t have a chain grocery store until 1999, he’s built a spot both critically heralded and reflective of the area’s many cultures. "I bike and I walk every corner of Harlem, and see so much diversity that’s unexpected," he says. Then he builds a menu around those encounters.
KEY: Gray text Where Samuelsson biked to / Black text: What he was inspired to add to his menu Click to enlarge.

Illustrations by Peter Oumanski.

A version of this article appears in the June 2012 issue of Fast Company.