Introduction and Host Welcome

• Host Amber from Google Cloud welcomes Marcus Samuelson for Black History Month celebration
• Marcus' background: chef with 13 restaurants worldwide, including Harlem's Red Rooster
• TV appearances: Top Chef Masters, No Passport Required
• Former White House guest chef during Obama administration
• Best-selling author of 8 books, discussing "The Rise: Black Cooks and the Soul of American Food"
• Fourth time speaking at Google events

Marcus Samuelson's Current Location and Perspective

• Speaking from Miami, Overtown restaurant location
• Reflects on privileges and navigating challenging times during pandemic
• Appreciates Google staff curiosity about cooking and platform building

"The Rise" Book Overview and Purpose

• 4-year project to create comprehensive black food cookbook
• Main goals:
  • Acknowledge black excellence in food
  • Show diversity within black food culture
  • Address biggest misunderstanding: lack of recognition of black food diversity
  • Establish correct authorship of American food contributions
• Framework: Authorship → Correct Memories → Aspirations
• Comparison: extensive knowledge exists about Italian, Spanish, French food vs. limited black cooking content

Book Structure and Content Approach

• Stories from diverse contributors: chefs, writers from around world
• Examples of diversity:
  • Naisha Arrington: Korean-American and African-American (Los Angeles)
  • Greg Goday: Haitian-American (Portland)
  • Marcus: Ethiopian background living in New York
• European narratives well-documented through trading, tourism, content
• Black cooking stories historically under-shared, creating "murkier" understanding

Complementary Show and Social Impact

• Collaboration with UberEats for accompanying show
• Black Business Matters Matching Fund established
  • Provides grants (not loans) to small black family businesses
  • Critical support during pandemic
• Planned residence program from "The Rise"
  • 6-week study opportunity for black chef
  • Modeled after art/music world residencies, uncommon in culinary field
• Focus on generational wealth of knowledge creation

Book Organization: Future-First Approach

• Chapter 1: "Who Got Next" - optimistic focus on emerging talent
• Featured young talent like Patricia Gonzalez (17 when book started)
• Black food exists beyond restaurants:
  • YouTube platforms
  • Pop-ups
  • Various non-traditional venues
• Parallel to hip-hop evolution: park parties → mainstream pop culture

Current Culinary Landscape and Opportunities

• Pivotal entrepreneurship moment in America post-pandemic
• Traditional gatekeepers (newspapers, magazines) less relevant
• Social media democratizes food storytelling
• Historical barriers for black entrepreneurs:
  • Lack of generational wealth
  • Blocked from institutional lending
  • Excluded from traditional review systems
• Current advantage: direct broadcasting through social media

Resources and Accessibility

• Book includes comprehensive resource section
• Vendor information for specialty ingredients (Venice Seeds, Barbara, etc.)
• Google-like research encouragement for readers
• Supports local/online stores through increased demand
• Learning approach similar to mastering Japanese soy, ramen, Italian cuisine

Five Original American Cuisines from Black Diaspora

• Low country cuisine
• Southern/soul food
• Cajun and Creole
• Barbecue
• All stem from black diaspora influence
• Parallel to American music: blues, funk, hip-hop, jazz, gospel

Leah Chase: Culinary Legend and Inspiration

• Owned New Orleans restaurant (opened 1940s, still operating 80+ years)
• Broke segregation laws serving integrated clientele
• Civil rights meeting location
• Activist and advocate for black art
• Crowdfunded civil rights movement in 1950s-60s
• Marcus credits civil rights movement + immigration laws for his American opportunity

Featured Contributors and Diversity Examples

• Cheryl Day: baker from Savannah, Georgia
• Nina Compton: New Orleans-based chef
• Eduardo Jordan: Seattle-based, Lagos-influenced cuisine
• 45 featured chefs with full stories
• 200+ chefs mentioned throughout book
• Emphasis on ubiquitous presence, not geographic limitations

Recipe Showcase and Discussion

• Cauliflower steak with jambalaya-inspired mayo (Nina Compton)
  • Vegetarian option, pandemic-inspired plant-based eating
  • Pairing suggestions: collards, lentils, turmeric rice
• Seamoss Delight smoothie
  • Caribbean superfood, Jamaica origins
  • Overnight soaking process, creates natural jelly
  • Vegan ocean seaweed blend with orange juice
• Kelewelly (plantains)
  • West African street food inspiration
  • Ripe plantains with spice mix and dip
  • Reflects outdoor eating culture in African markets
• Fish cakes with greens (Michelle from Restaurant Gray, Savannah)
  • 2020 connection through virtual cooking experiences
• Red wine spice chocolate cake
  • Practical use of leftover wine
  • Welcoming approach to black food accessibility
  • Ingredients: cinnamon, orange, complex flavors

Personal Cooking and Family Traditions

• Family dynamics: wife's sisters take over kitchen during holidays
• Ethiopian food hierarchy: Marcus ranks 5th best cook in household
• Son Zion loves cooking process, less interested in eating
• Oral tradition importance in black food culture
• Ancient dish histories: Kitfo (2000+ years), Doro Wat (thousands of years)
• Higher purpose: cultural representation and introduction

Marcus' Kitchen Essentials

• High-quality olive oil
• Various vinegars (rice wine, etc.)
• El Ras el Hanout spice blend from Morocco ("top of the shop")
• Five spice blends as building blocks
• Current experiments: dried collard greens with bene seeds and seaweed powder
• Testing kitchen approach to recipe development

Pandemic Impact and Restaurant Industry Challenges

• 41% of black businesses (not just restaurants) closed due to COVID
• Average affected business employed 10-12 people
• Neighborhood economic impact: mom-and-pop business clusters
• Personal navigation advantage: established brand and history
• Public-private partnerships emerging as hopeful response
• Black Business Matters fund addressing specific community needs

Supporting Black Culinary Businesses

• Research local black-owned restaurants via Google search
• Order takeout/delivery when possible
• Purchase restaurant merchandise/swag
• Volunteer professional skills (tech, marketing, accounting)
• 4 hours monthly volunteer commitment suggestion
• Combination approach: financial support + skill sharing
• Creative problem-solving during pandemic restrictions

Historical Culinary Figures (Under-recognized)

• Fanny and Edith: Thomas Jefferson's executive chefs (ages 15 and 18)
• Sofia Wright: LBJ's chef, major influence on black voting rights
• Georgia Gilmore: single mother of six, 3 AM cake baking, $100/week to civil rights movement
• Advocates and activists absent from history books
• Foundational contributions to American "stew" of food culture

Fusion Cooking and Cultural Blending

• Ethiopian-Swedish-American combination example
• Cured coffee smoked salmon concept
• Green coffee toasting with Swedish salmon
• Coffee mustard sauce with Swedish dill and Ethiopian mustard
• Personal cultural intersection celebration

Low Country Food Definition and Evolution

• Geographic region: Carolinas extending to Tennessee
• Slave trade route: West Africa → Charleston
• Key ingredients brought through slavery: rice, okra
• Senegalese Jollof rice similarity to grits/rice dishes
• Climate and terroir influence on food evolution
• Great Migration impact on regional food variations
• Music parallel: Fela Kuti evolution to Burna Boy and Wizkid

Afro-Cuban Ingredients and Market Representation

• Currently underrepresented in major food stores
• Growth opportunity space identified
• Jerk sauce example of broader acceptance
• Social media changing distribution patterns
• Traditional community-specific distribution expanding
• Youth openness and curiosity driving change

Advice for Young Chefs

• Keep cooking and rising
• Document journey on social media/blogs
• Build "menu of life" through experiences
• People more open to background stories today
• Cook authentically for family/friends
• Study and learn craft fundamentals simultaneously
• Balance creativity with technical knowledge

Business Growth and Platform Sharing Philosophy

• Not either/or between restaurant operations and advocacy
• Duty to share platform and bring people up
• Red Rooster as training ground: 5-year development of chef Tristan for Miami location
• Talent + structure + opportunities = sustainable growth
• "Kick down doors" and ensure others follow
• Room sharing responsibility once achieving access

Final Reflections and Joy in Creation

• Honoring grandparents and mentors through work
• Creating content absent during his career development
• No available cookbooks by people of color when starting
• Providing learning center for all audiences:
  • Non-black chefs seeking education
  • Companies wanting allyship guidance
  • Young people of color seeing representation
• Aspirational impact: showing community presence and possibility
• Series potential: Rise Part Two, Part Three planned

Book Availability and Follow-up

• Available at independent bookstores (preferred support)
• Amazon availability
• Follow @marcuscooks for events and updates
• "This Moment" podcast for ongoing content
• Local indie bookstore support emphasized during pandemic