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MARCUS SAMUELSSON | In the 1990s, Marcus Samuelsson received a three-star rating from The New York Times at 25 years old, the youngest person to receive such an accolade at the time, for his food at the high-end Scandinavian restaurant Aquavit. He currently owns and operates Red Rooster Harlem in New York City, along with a number of other restaurants. In 2016, Samuelsson was inducted into the James Beard Foundation "Who's Who of Food and Beverage in America." He is the co-founder and co-producer of the annual food and culture festival Harlem EatUp! He also has his own show on PBS, "No Passport Required," helping him become one of the biggest celebrity food stars of the 2010s.
Kris Connor / Stringer/ Getty Images Entertainment
MARCUS SAMUELSSON | In the 1990s, Marcus Samuelsson received a three-star rating from The New York Times at 25 years old, the youngest person to receive such an accolade at the time, for his food at the high-end Scandinavian restaurant Aquavit. He currently owns and operates Red Rooster Harlem in New York City, along with a number of other restaurants. In 2016, Samuelsson was inducted into the James Beard Foundation “Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America.” He is the co-founder and co-producer of the annual food and culture festival Harlem EatUp! He also has his own show on PBS, “No Passport Required,” helping him become one of the biggest celebrity food stars of the 2010s.
AuthorPortrait of reporter Zareen Syed in Chicago on Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2022. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)
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To compile this list of trailblazers, The Daily Meal looked for Black chefs and restaurateurs both past and present who broke barriers by achieving firsts, penning top-selling cookbooks, earning nominations for awards and more in the competitive — oftentimes exclusive — world of food.