Kassahun “Joar” Tsegie was born on 25th of January 1970 in Ethiopia, and better known as Marcus Samuelsson, is a renowned chef and restaurateur, is the executive chef at “Aquavit” restaurant in New York, where his activities have earned him multiple awards from the James Beard Foundation. He has also starred in TV shows, including “Top Chef” and “The Feed”, as well as opening various eateries worldwide. Samuelsson has also written several books, including his “Yes, Chef” memoir, portraying his career which began in the late 1980s.
Have you ever wondered how rich Marcus Samuelsson is? According to sources, it has been estimated that Marcus Samuelsson’s net worth is over $6 million as of late 2017, acquired by being one of today’s most successful chefs. His appearances in popular TV shows and good sales of the books he has written have increased his net worth. Since he is still an active restaurateur, his net worth continues to grow.
Marcus Samuelsson Net Worth $6 Million
Although born in Ethiopia, Marcus and his sister were adopted by a Swedish family shortly after the death of their mother. The siblings grew up in Sweden where Marcus had his first culinary contact when he went fishing with his father and uncles, who would smoke and preserve the fish they had caught. He was also taught a lot about food preparation by his grandmother Helga, who was a professional chef herself. As his interest in food grew, Samuelsson furthered his education at the Culinary Institute in Gothenburg, Sweden in the mid ‘80s. Upon graduation in 1989, he spent some time as an apprentice in Switzerland before moving to France in 1993. Soon after, Marcus moved to the United States to begin an apprenticeship at “Aquavit” in New York, where he quickly worked his way up, and eventually became executive chef. Shortly after, he received his first three-star rating by the “New York Times”; at the time, Marcus was only 23, which made him the youngest chef to receive the honor. He was later awarded the James Beard Foundation’s Rising Star Chef Award in 1999 and four years later he was named the best chef in New York city by the same foundation. His net worth was by now very well established.
Apart from his culinary success and talent, Samuelsson also took up writing, and released his first book, “Aquavit and The New Scandinavian Cuisine” in 2003, followed by his second – “The Soul of a New Cuisine: A Discovery of the Foods and Flavors of Africa” – three years later, and which was named Best International Cookbook by the Beard Foundation a year after its publishing. However, he didn’t stop there, as he wrote more books on the topic, which include “New American Table”(2009), and “Yes, Chef: A Memoir”(2012). All have contributed to his net worth.
Marcus has also opened several restaurants; his first one was “Red Rooster” which he opened in Harlem in 2010. He has hosted TV’s “Inner Chef with Marcus Samuelsson”, and participated in the “Top Chef” series as a judge. In 2014, he was also a judge in the TV series “The Taste”, and in 2015, appeared in “Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown: as Ethiopia was the topic of the episode. HAs a consecutive four-star rating recipient from “Forbes” magazine, Marcus is constantly in demand to appear on TV or be heard on radio, which certainly does no harm to his reputation, or to his bank account!
When it comes to his private life, Samuelsson has been married to model Gate Maya Haile since 2009; the two married in Ethiopia and now reside in Harlem. Marcus is also an ambassador for the US Fund for UNICEF, and is on the board of directors of Careers Through Culinary Arts program.
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