Don't worry, I'm not trying to put pressure on you! I'm a firm believer that people find their own passions. In fact, my mother would be the first to say that being a chef was the last occupation she would've ever pushed me towards for the simple fact that she...

They say never trust a skinny chef, but the fact is, to stay healthy when you're a chef means you have to work twice as hard. People come up to me all the time and ask how I stay the way I am, and it's no secret. The first lesson...

It's not uncommon that people will ask me which black chefs I admire -- that answer is easy. Patrick Clark, the venerated chef of New York's Odeon and Tavern on the Green; Sylvia Woods, my Red Rooster neighbor who was and still is a part of this Harlem...

For those of you who read MarcusSamuelsson.com or follow me on Facebook and Twitter, you know that I post a Meatless Monday recipe at the beginning of every week. But what you may not know is that Meatless Monday isn't just a clever hashtag...

Thanksgiving is probably my favorite holiday -- it's a day that's American to the core and it's a day that's all about what and how we eat.

I learned from my grandmother, who grew up in devastating war times, how important it is to keep with tradition...

I was honored to spend a few hours at the Huffington Post Oasis at the RNC and DNC these past two weeks, talking about how to eat globally to eat better. I couldn't have asked for a better response from both those who came up to...

Here's a thought: what if we ban the word "healthy food" from our culinary vocabulary? I'm not talking about banning foods that are considered healthy. I'm talking about changing the way we think about food overall.

Our country is in the midst of a cataclysmic health crisis, much of...

My journey as a chef can be traced in ways that not only pays homage to the food I eat but by the people who introduced me to a diverse world of flavors that I use in my recipes today. There was Helga, my grandmother, who shaped my resourcefulness and...

One of the reasons I wanted to write my memoirs is that besides talking about food, the other thing I am most often asked about is adoption. The journey into adoption started for my parents, as it does with so many families: my mother and father desperately wanted...

I'm lucky to live in New York, a city that offers so many options for lunch. I can pick up dumplings from a Midtown food truck, grab empanadas by the dozen in Spanish Harlem or get a fantastic bowl of ramen in the East Village. We have food from practically...

This weekend I'm headed to the Austin Food & Wine Festival, and I couldn't be more excited to see what's happening there. It's Food & Wine's first-ever food fest in the Texas capital, happening on the heels of SXSW and a few months before Austin City Limits (the...

With Easter and Mother's Day just around the corner, you know nothing says "Happy Easter" or "Thank you for taking care of me, Mom" quite like a happy brunch between family and friends. It's no wonder that New York City is known as the "Brunch Capital of the U.S" since...

Just like keeping a healthy diet is important to maintaining a healthy lifestyle, eating the right foods is just as important for getting the most out of your workout. While keeping active is a major aspect of staying fit, what you use for fuel definitely factors in.

It's key to...

Since this winter hasn't been all that harsh in most parts of the US, we can't resort to our usual heavy winter classics. But that doesn't mean we should neglect our favorite winter ingredients. Cooking seasonally is not only great for the environment (since it requires less travel and chemical...

As the famous Langston Hughes poem entitled "Harlem" starts, "What happens to a dream deferred?" many often think that the line refers to Harlem itself. That somehow some grandiose dream of what Harlem was or could be has withered or in this case "dried up like a raisin in the...

Throughout much of February, Harlem becomes alive with much appreciation towards Black History Month. Among those greats whose lives are constantly celebrated in Harlem through monuments and such are the likes of Langston Hughes, Duke Ellington, and Malcolm X. But there is one African American notable that is not often...

Ah, Valentine's Day! Besides your anniversary, it's the single most romantic day of the year. Although I believe affection and romance should be shown all year around, it's always smart to have a good plan up your sleeve for Valentine's Day. While my wife Maya and I enjoy eating out...

I love chicken. But, like a lot of chefs and cooks, I get tired of preparing it the same way. While I love fried chicken, it's not always the healthiest dish on the menu and should really be a "once in a while" treat. The key to healthy eating is...

Cold winter winds only bring one thing to mind for me -- comfort food! Although there is quite a lot of American comfort food on my menu at Red Rooster Harlem, my comfort food is traditionally Swedish in origin, since I grew up there. While some people

With the Super Bowl coming up in just 3 short weeks, everyone is looking for tasty and easy suggestions for what to serve at their parties. Pizza is a classic guest-friendly food that I like to prepare. It's the perfect dish for picky eaters, vegetarians (if meat is omitted), and...