A cooking life

Author: Marcus Samuelsson

Having read the first chapter, I can now guess that the book cover has Berbere spread, in which the title is written in perfect alphabets. Its a touching search for his mother who passed away when he was 3. I almost teared up at the end of first chapter.

As I read the wordy letters of some dishes, I am reminded that Ikea food too is from the place where the author grew up. The author's first encounter with management of pantry began at his grandmother's house.
Before jumping into cooking dream full time, the author had another dream- soccer. A playground which looks down upon underbuilt even if skilled.

Its the professional kitchens where the interns and the novices are to bow a 'Yes, Chef' for everything, that the title of the book is derived from.

The division of the book into three chapters boy, chef and man says it all. That it’s a bildungsroman. By the end of his boyhood, he owned a coveted set of cooking knives and a kitchen boy experience at a restaurant. That’s telling of where the boy is headed. Geographically, he wanted to get to France. In the meantime, he went to top restaurants in Switzerland, NY.  While in NY, he took the place in. The diversity of NY expanded his palate. From his mentors he learnt how to meld international flavours into existing traditions. With his focus on learning as much as he could, by the age of 24, he became the head of a three star kitchen. He arrived.

Having reached his goal, hurtling through a pregnancy and two funerals that he couldn’t attend, at a QA with cooking students, ‘What are some of the modern cooking trends in Africa?’ was the tipping point. His search to find his roots became his diving board into manhood too where the self he had made until then had a hefty price attached to it as it was under another person’s tutelage. Everywhere he goes, he cooks to show ‘honor, respect and love’. His food was appreciated by awards, TV show win, preparing state dinner. His restaurant ‘Red Rooster’ is about letting the past and present speak from the same place. Just like in his life where he embraced his past by taking up the responsibility of his natural father's family from another marriage.

Chef Samuelsson’s life is similar to the others in the hours that he had to put in scut work. His life is different too from other chefs. We hear how it is tough for chefs to have a life. The author got around it by getting to the top fast and then found time to tie up the lose ends in his life – finding identity, building family bonds.

In the kitchen, he learns of the rituals where mentors let the best stage at other famous kitchens. Demographics in there.

Pig feet Mary