WASHINGTON 鈥� Marcus Samuelsson opened Red Rooster six years ago and in that time, he鈥檚 had his fair share of memorable moments.
One of Samuelsson鈥檚 favorites is when the Obamas stopped by his Harlem restaurant for a special dinner of braised short ribs, lobster salad and cornbread with honey butter.
The kitchen was buzzing during the visit, but the real excitement happened outside the dining room where neighbors lined up to catch a glimpse of the president and the first lady.
鈥淭he party was just equally as much outside the restaurant as in the restaurant,鈥� said Samuelsson, who passed out doughnuts and coffee to the crowd during the event.
Next on his list is when musician Roberta Flack opened at Ginny鈥檚 Supper Club, the basement lounge at Red Rooster.聽But right up there with the commander-in-chief and a major celebrity is when any of his staff members advanced to the next position.
鈥淭here鈥檚 everything from the president to music to just a server becoming a manager that鈥檚 magical to me,鈥� said Samuelsson, who is a frequent face on Food Network鈥檚 鈥淐hopped鈥� and Bravo鈥檚 鈥淭op Chef.鈥�
鈥淭here are small goals that we have that from the outside don鈥檛 look big, but they are evolutions for us.鈥�
That鈥檚 because when Samuelsson, 46, opened Red Rooster in 2010, he did so with the intent to build a community.
Before establishing the restaurant, the Ethiopian-born and Swedish-raised chef purchased an apartment in the upper Manhattan neighborhood. A few years later, his mother encouraged him to start his business there.
鈥淢y mom always said to me, 鈥楬ey, you should open something that鈥檚 more affordable, and you should also open up something that is where you live. Why do we always have to travel to where you do stuff?鈥欌�� he told WTOP at a recent event at Macy’s Downtown-Metro Center.
鈥淎s African-Americans, we鈥檙e always used to the good schools being out of [our] community, the good jobs out of the community. Why does it have to be like that?鈥�
So the James Beard Award-winning chef opened a lunch, dinner and brunch eatery on Lenox Avenue and 125th. From day one, his goal with Red Rooster was to build a home.
鈥淚 was looking for a community, you know? And Harlem has become both home and community,鈥� he said.
In fact, 70 percent of Samuelsson鈥檚 150 employees are from the neighborhood and he takes pride in that.
鈥淧eople see that all good jobs are not downtown,鈥� he said.
He considers Red Rooster a place of opportunity and growth for those who need a job and want to learn hospitality. In addition to kitchen and front-of-house employees, the downstairs lounge allows Samuelsson to bring in the neighborhood鈥檚 musicians, dancers and other artists.
The restaurant鈥檚 menu reflects the community, as well. Many dishes are Southern inspired, but heavily influenced by other cultures.
鈥淚t鈥檚 also a reflection of how Harlem has changed. So you have Puerto Rican, you have Mexican, you have Jewish,鈥� Samuelsson said.
The restaurant鈥檚 history 鈥� and that of the neighborhood 鈥� is chronicled in Samuelsson鈥檚 latest book, . The recipes tell the stories of the destination鈥檚 most iconic dishes, and lengthy essays dive into the neighborhood’s past.
鈥淚 look at good food as a civil right; this is our civil rights movement toward that,鈥� Samuelsson said about his restaurant and cookbook.
Expect to find recipes for everything from Red Rooster鈥檚 fried yardbird to its crunchy quinoa salad with pears.
For those who want to catch Samuelsson鈥檚 cooking first hand, there鈥檚 no need to book a ticket to New York. The chef is opening a restaurant in National Harbor鈥檚 MGM casino, .
鈥淲e鈥檙e definitely going to have crab on the menu; we鈥檙e going to look at some of the grits from Virginia coming up. You know, I love the idea that we鈥檙e getting closer to the South here, so we鈥檒l have even more Southern influences,鈥� he said.
MGM and Marcus is scheduled to open Dec. 8.
