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	Check out Marcus Samuelsson's Recipes.

Marcus Samuelsson was orphaned in a tuberculosis epidemic raging through his native Ethiopia when he was just three years old. After finding shelter in a Swedish field hospital, he and his young sister were adopted by a young Swedish couple. He started to learn how to cook at the age of six or seven. He studied at the Culinary Institute in Gotenborg and at various places in Switzerland and Austria before taking an eight-month internship at Aquavit in New York City. He then took a position at Georges Blanc in Lyon, France, a three-star Michelin restaurant. At twenty-four, Marcus became Executive Chef of Aquavit and received a three-star rating from the New York Times.

What were some of the factors that led to your becoming a chef?

My first inspiration came from my grandmother. As I learned more, I always went back to her because of her passion. Also, early on she always questioned me to make sure that this is what I really wanted to do.

Who has been the most significant influence on your cooking style?

As you go along you try to find your own cooking style. Being a chef in your 20s, you don't have a cuisine yet, as you're still trying to figure it out. That said, I would say that I have, of course, had influences: in France, George Blanc; in Switzerland, Alsacian cooking; and in America there are even more influences. There's not one person, but there are some people in the industry who I look up to: Jean-George Vongerichten , Charlie Trotter, and Alfred Portale ...

You became executive chef of Aquavit and received three stars from the NY Times at the young age of 24. Being that you started with such high standards, are you pleased with how the restaurant has come along over the past few years?

Yes, I am very happy with the direction we are going. The owner has had great commitment to reinvest in the restaurant by upgrading service, the kitchen, and the dining areas. The company has shown me that they are interested in the long run, so I want to be a part of that.

Over the past few years, Americans seem to have become more and more open to the various cuisines of the world. Do you think that the American palate is ready to experience more Scandinavian fare, in the form of more restaurants, for example?

Absolutely. You said it yourself, Americans are more open, especially in big cities. All different cusines are geared toward Americans though. You have to find a balance between the original cuisine and the tastes of America. You have to make the cuisine appealing to them using what they know. There is market for more Scandinavian restaurants, but you have to be careful. Italian and French restaurants have large support groups in the U.S., while Scandinavian people are a small minority. As a result, people are not familiar with the cuisine. One of my greatest challenges is to someday have Americans think of Swedish food as an option when they go out to eat.

How important do you feel presentation is when preparing a dish?

Extremely important -- the more senses that you involve in your food, the better. I work in a city where if you're one-dimensional, people say that it's not good enough. A long time ago, having good food was enough, then it was food and wine, then food, wine, and service -- now you have to have food, wine, service, and ambiance. It's become more about hospitality and entertainment. That's actually why I think Americans are so good at it. They're better at entertainment than the Europeans, for example.

What restaurants do you frequent when you go out to eat in New York?

When I go out to learn, I go to restaurants like Bouley, Lespinasse , and Jean-George . I usually just like to hang out, though. I have a lot of Asian food: Korean, Japanese, Chinese. I'm very casual and can have a slice of pizza on the same day as a four-star meal. I'm not very picky.