Marcus Samuelsson is an Ethiopian-born, Swedish-raised chef and owner of Red Rooster Harlem in New York City and three other restaurants.

As of 2010, he lives in Harlem, near the site of his newest restaurant, Red Rooster, which opened in December 2010.

In March 2011, the Red Rooster hosted a fund-raising dinner for the Democratic National Committee. President Obama attended the dinner. The $30,800-per-plate event raised $1.5 million.

After appearing consistently as a culinary judge on the Food Network show Chopped Samuelsson competed in and won Chopped All Stars: Judges Remix. He was awarded the grand prize of $50,000 for his charity, the Careers Through Culinary Arts Program.

In 2013, Samuelsson won the James Beard Foundation award for Writing and Literature related to food. The book, Yes, Chef: A Memoir, chronicles his journey, from his grandmother’s kitchen to his arrival in New York City, and the earning of a New York Times three-star rating at the age of twenty-four.