Paper magazine just had an article on Marcus Samuelsson in which the celebrity chef reveals more details on the Red Rooster restaurant that will (hopefully) open in October right off of 125th Street and Lenox Avenue. Mr. Samuelsson is keeping things local in a big way with shopping all of Harlem's farmers market for the produce at the restaurant and serving them up on old china found in uptown's antique stores. Affordable luxury is also a goal that the chef discusses in the article along with confirming that the storefront will include a bakery, a grocery and a downstairs lounge at a later date. Read more in Paper magazine: LINK. Photograph by Bill Durgin
Thursday, September 2, 2010
☞ EAT: Marcus Samuelsson Talks Red Rooster
Paper magazine just had an article on Marcus Samuelsson in which the celebrity chef reveals more details on the Red Rooster restaurant that will (hopefully) open in October right off of 125th Street and Lenox Avenue. Mr. Samuelsson is keeping things local in a big way with shopping all of Harlem's farmers market for the produce at the restaurant and serving them up on old china found in uptown's antique stores. Affordable luxury is also a goal that the chef discusses in the article along with confirming that the storefront will include a bakery, a grocery and a downstairs lounge at a later date. Read more in Paper magazine: LINK. Photograph by Bill Durgin
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Well, it certainly sound like he's aware of all the challenges involved with this project. I also noticed the mention of the upcoming Hyatt as well.
ReplyDeleteIf Mr. Samuelsson can actually patronize the local farmer's markets to boot all the better.
I'm certainly looking forward to this.
I love the idea of a grocery and bakery on the top floor....I wish him the best and I can't wait to dive into his cuisine.
ReplyDeleteI wonder what he really knows about the proposed Hyatt.
Great Article...He is such a great addition to Harlem. Both he and his wife are smart and stunning ! I can't wait to eat at his new restaurant.
ReplyDelete(1) It's a hired PR agent/co. that manufacturers features on Marcus & feeds that content to media, that's all fine - but if he was consistent with his words, he would let this blog site do a full blown feature interview (and he just might, I don't put that past him)...but all this talk and stress about "local" and then framing going out of Harlem to a Whole Foods for ingredients as a "cop out" that he just can't do.
ReplyDelete(2) Marcus the Drama Queen? Again, why is Marcus talking negatively about the ingredients available in Harlem? Fairway has been in Harlem LONG before Marcus moved to Harlem. There are NO ingredients Whole Foods has that Fairway does not have. Quite the opposite, Fairway Harlem has one of the worlds most expansive cheese options/choices for example. Fairway ruins, totally exposes Marcus's manufactured narrative a contrived, PR, part of his image and branding. If you read the article, the big dilemma of Marcus and his wife no less is the possibility of having to leave Harlem and go to a Wholefoods for ingredients, and thereby using his words, "cop'ing out". This of course in reality is a false and contrived dilemma since Fairway in Harlem has all he needs (or can get at a Wholefoods). What's the deal here? Does Marcus there is a Fairway in Harlem? You see he can't be this conflicted figure if he simply says, "we'll probably pick up ingredients daily from Fairway". That real option does not construct dilemma or conflict, it's too simple and easy. Fairway denies Marcus a chance to portray & market himself as this conflicted figure trying so hard to "keep it real, local, Harlem". That whole line of discourse is a total joke, and I think Marcus knows that.
(3) He then says, "I want to capture the Latin community, the Caribbean and African-American communities, the Italian-American community, the Jewish-American community and the Columbia students. That, to me, is so representative of American food and Americans today." (END). Is Marcus running for political office now? You know who captures this crowd, McDonald's & Applebee's... that's about it. You can't please and or appeal to all people, nor should you try.
(4) I smell a train wreck approaching, especially considering 140 seats? But since it's Marcus, everything he serves will be considered 'golden', the best ever!
I don't appreciate it when a politician promises the sun, moon, & stars, and I feel the same way about a restaurant. C'mon Marcus, cut the drama, focus on what you do, and let's get on with it.
Whats the matter Reynolds93 not feeling well today?
ReplyDeleteMarcus Samuelson is doing a great job at trying to work in the community, but for some, whatever he does will be wrong and he will always anger a few, much like the fine sculpture at 5th on the park angered some. My advice to Marcus Samuelson, firstly, do not be surprised when a few people get angry with your endeavor, and secondly, take no notice of those who will predictably be angry with you. For many Harlemites we can’t wait for this to open and will support this restaurant.
ReplyDeleteGreg, I was just wondering the same thing. Reynolds93, I don't know where to start. 1) No idea what you are talking about, so we will skip that one. 2) 40 or so lines ranting about Fairway. Yes, Fairway is a tremendous option, but it is a pain in the arse to get to and well out of the way for many Harlemites. Marcus is going into schools to talk about healthy eating (much the same as Jamie Oliver did in the UK to great effect). He doesn't have to do this.
ReplyDelete3) Yes! He wants to capture as much of Harlem as possible. Bloody hell, the fella just can't get a break. If he happened to leave out a group I am sure you would be ranting about that.
4) You hope and pray there is a train wreck coming as you will be the first person on here proclaiming how correct you are. Yeah, genius mate.
Marcus Samuelsson is bringing more jobs to Harlem and IS taking a big risk with this venture. Rant and rave all you like sitting behind your little screen. Any fool can do that, but try to find a little positivity instead of "let's get it done". Oh, and what is your contribution in the "let's"? Just curious.
My comments are fact based observation. Marcus is not authenticate or genuine in his language in media. When he described one of his favorite restaurants as Settepani and literally said it was "A real Italian place...." with the omission of Piatto D' oro., that exposed Marcus completely as inauthentic and disingenuous in media. Settepani is anything but what he said...everybody knows that, and really just trying to follow a trend created and defined by Piatto D' oro, everybody also knows that. Think about it, if you were Piatto D' oro and you read what Marcus said about Settepani...you gotta laugh. Marcus was just throwing a bone to a personal friend. However at the same time he was slighting the real thing, the originator, the return to Harlem of real authentic Italian cuisine, Piatto D' oro.
ReplyDeleteNo harm or crime in what Marcus does, it's just he's very aware of what he's saying, his branding, his language. I simply exposed where he manufactured a total false dilemma, to portray and further a narrative (a man hell bent and determined to keep it local Harlem, and conflicted with having to go to WholeFoods, outside of Harlem, when that conflict never existed, goodness gracious.
Marcus is slick, he knows what he's doing, the narrative he's crafting, and most people buy into it unquestioned. For example, you tell me, isn't that whole line of discourse unnecessary (thanks to Fairway) but there to build and further an identity for Marcus? Yes.
Branding, he's very aware of branding and will craft and weave a story line and narrative to appeal to media. He does it well, however if you know Harlem, you now his dilemma is total hogwash, but needed for self branding (the kind he wants of himself).
No one here will defend or support Marcus' dilemma as valid and genuine - knowing Fairway is in Harlem. But it's the story, the drama, the imagery of "Marcus".
@Reynolds93:
ReplyDeleteUh, you don't think the guy can fill 140 seats when A)he's already got a following of sorts and B) the place is gonna double as a live music venue?
I suppose if they used the space for an Associated instead that would meet with your approval.
Considering Red Rooster is on 125th and Lenox, is it truly that hard to get to Fairway? 10 minute cab ride or 20 minute ride on the Bx15 and a 5 minute walk.
ReplyDeleteHmmmm. Would a Fairway work @ La Marqueta?
VV, i don't see how you can be all things to all people. you can serve a financial demographic - but the public speak of Marcus is promises to a very broad range (CU students, locals, to the top). then he talks about only serving on "antique China found at local shops". Yeah, like CU students really want and demand that. Can you square that? Aiming to appeal to CU students but also only serving on local antique China? See the pattern? It's good storyline (local antique China, etc.). It's a reason for tourist to visit his place, it's a bone he's throwing, one more lurer, his local antique Chinaware, etc. Marcus crafts a broad romantic narrative for public consumption of his image - that makes little sense in real life. If he never mentioned the "antique local China" it would not detract from his business one bit. But he adds that little nugget, that little offering to build into the romantic notion of "Marcus".
ReplyDeleteIt's all contrived, every word, handled by PR people, all of it. At the end of the day he's going to pick off tourist business from Sylvia's and his business will be tourist driven, just like Sylvia, locals be damned. Just watch.
Reynolds, us locals won't be damned & neither will Sylvia's. Folks want Soul Food, they'll hit Sylvia's or Amy Ruth's. If Marcus is supposedly playing us to go after that tourist dollar (or Euro), so be it. Let them pay to eat off the antique china while paying for a authentic Red Rooster apron and T-shirt from the gift shop. Let that revenue aid the B.I.D. and keep the streets cleaner and more inviting to locals and visitors alike.
ReplyDeleteIn the end, we won't be damned. We'll have another dining option in CentrAl Harlem and another reason not to head downtown for some "cosmopolitan" cuisine.
Reynolds93...wow, you really are showing yourself up - "then he talks about only serving on 'antique China found at local shops'. Yeah, like CU students really want and demand that". If you know anything about students, this is exactly the sort of thing they love. Ever been to Kitchenette on Amsterdam? You would never guess what they offer, home style cooking with old fashioned utensils! You know what else? Columbia students love it. The place is constantly packed. Seriously...your ranting about antique china is bizarre. Locals be damned? Er, OK.
ReplyDeleteCalm down people, it really isn't all that deep.
ReplyDeletedude do you work for Piatto d'Oro or something? you mention them in every post; seems to me you're doing exactly what you accuse Samuelsson of.
ReplyDeletePerhaps Reynolds93 was abused by a PR agent or marketer in his childhood?
ReplyDeleteCreativity is an essential aspect of entrepreneurship. And the creative process requires just that -- creation. You have to build patterns that don't yet exist, whether in bricks and mortar or in social behavior. The most successful ventures appeal to people on an entirely new level, challenging their existing perceptions as to what is possible (e.g., Apple).
If such innovation runs afoul of a very narrow-minded conception of "authenticity," so be it. If we were all held hostage to such backward thinking, there would be no growth, and no change. Perhaps a handful of misanthropes would derive a sense of moral superiority and self-satisfaction from being (authentically) mired in stagnation and poverty -- but I am grateful that more than a few are willing to take risks, and that they strive for success in ways that require a little more imagination.
Lots of comments, but I see every single one avoid speaking to the Marcus contrived drama and dilemma that MARGINALIZES Harlem, that he chose to have published, of having to leave Harlem and go to Whole Foods to get ingredients.
ReplyDeleteIt's not a true dilemma and only feeds into the false impression that Harlem is lacking, that you have to leave Harlem to get certain things (food in this case) and it's simply not true, every single person here knows that. Yet you're silent on Marcus's speech, why is that?
Marcus could have done the community, Harlem a lot of good by being honest and saying, "Harlem is a great place to base out of, all I have to do is go to the top of 125th and Fairway to get daily fresh ingredients". That's all he had to say. But that's not drama, that does not build his ego/image of his sojourn to buy fresh and as local as possible....thus the dilemma, to go or not to go....to Whole Foods. Give me a break Marcus!
I am amused most all of this blog refuses to view Marcus through this lens, this lens of why he chooses to suggest Harlem is lacking, when it's not. There's a lot of silence here of Marcus fans who simply won't admit he's incorrect, won't admit he marginalizes Harlem in his characterization of the problem, and sees he's clearly manufacturing and conjuring an image in media.
Fairway is very overrated - big isn't synonymous with good. Fairway is miserable in its offerings of sustainable foods compared to Whole Foods or even Trade Joe's. Fairway cheese pricing is a scammy rip-off. They have a weak beer selection. Meat, fish, and poultry offerings are so-so. If I were Samuelsson I wouldn't be thinking about Fairway as my go-to place either.
ReplyDeleteOK, that did it! This is where I get off. Ya know Reynolds93 You may not recognize it but you have succeeded in making a mountain out of a mole hill and I am not going to feed into such inappropriateness.
ReplyDeleteGood Luck with whatever message you were trying to get across. And remember: "10,000 Frenchmen can't be wrong."
Maybe I have a thing for feeding trolls, but it's hard for me to avoid pointing out that Chris has in fact addressed the grocery issue directly. Fairway is just not convenient for a lot of people, including myself and presumably also for Mr. Samuelsson.
ReplyDeleteLet's take a look at what he actually said, as quoted in the article:
***
Shopping for food locally, however, has proved difficult. "Grocery stores here are fabulous and horrible at the same time. I tell my wife all the time, 'We can't cop out. We can't hop on the train and go down to Whole Foods for everything.' Otherwise we're importing our groceries and saying, 'Here, look, we live in Harlem.' I welcome people to come up and open some green markets. There are so many opportunities."
***
If anything, it looks like these quotes primarily relate to his own family's shopping patterns and consumption. Elsewhere it is made clear that sourcing for Red Rooster ingredients will be through a local farmers' market -- and here too he's encouraging more of that to come to the area.
Look, I can honestly say that if I had to go to Fairway to buy all of my food, I would either starve to death or go broke ordering takeout. Best Yet has been a lifesaver and is more than adequate for me, but then again I'm not a professional chef who is trying to make high-quality, varied cuisine every day. It's not hard to imagine that there are items he struggles to find, or times when quality is lacking.
It seems to me the only "drama" here is coming from Reynolds93, in his determination to have a myopic argument over whether Fairway is "close enough" or "good enough" in purely subjective terms -- an argument which serves only to obscure the more substantive issue at hand. That issue is the degree of availability of fresh, high-quality food throughout Harlem. The existence of Fairway does not, by any stretch of the imagination, dismiss this as a real issue of concern to the community.
The existence of Fairway is of limited help to people in East Harlem, or indeed to people like myself in Central Harlem. Even when I've trekked over there I've found it mobbed and stressful to deal with -- it shouldn't have to be pointed out that it doesn't have the capacity to serve every person living in the greater Harlem area.
The #1 issue when it comes to food and the choices people make is convenience. Generally speaking, people do what is most convenient. Those much-maligned marketers know this well, and they have had great success in developing packaged foods as well as food retail models that emphasize convenience. As an intellectual matter, consumers may know that going to some far-flung grocer to buy fresh food is better, and that spending the time and energy to cook it is better. But many are still going to swing by the bodega to buy something already prepared, or grab some Chinese takeout or fried chicken on the way home from work. And this is before even considering cost, which is an additional problem that can only be remedied by the introduction of real competition in the market for healthy foods (as there has been in the conventional market for "fast" foods for some time). A single grocer tucked over on the Hudson does not get us there.
ReplyDeleteObesity, diabetes, heart disease, etc. are huge public health issues, and they are statistically much worse in Harlem. City and state agencies have been trying to tackle it in a number of ways, with tax benefits to encourage new grocery stores to open above 110th St, with funding and licensing support for "green carts," and with public information campaigns to encourage healthier eating (yes, the dreaded PR).
The availability of fresh, healthy food is a real issue in Harlem. Mr. Samuelsson did not invent the problem. He is, however, trying to do something about it, through school programs and similar efforts. If some of us read about it and feel supportive, then that is a good thing too.
Finally, it may be time for Reynolds93 to come down off his high horse. It would seem that he genuinely believes he is uniquely able to peel back the curtain, revealing a sinister world of marketing and spin of which the rest of us are blissfully unaware. That once we are exposed to a carefully hidden truth about "manufacturing and conjuring an image in media," the bankruptcy of the underlying story will become self-evident, its purpose rendered repellent to any good-hearted person whose mind can be freed from the clutches of PR manipulators.
Reynolds93: We get it. We're not so naive or clueless as to fail to understand that we are being sold something. What I think you fail to understand is that many of us like what we are being sold, and that we actually want more of it.
This is okay. We don't all have to value the same things. In fact, it is better that we are not all the same. Maybe it is time that you accept this, and thus refrain from trying to share the Gospel Truth with folks at are not about to convert to your world view.
Or at least try to proselytize less angrily...
Went to Faiways last August. Their Roma tomatoes were from Canada. Canada!! In August!! Talk about hype--they are the epitome.
ReplyDeleteThank you. Going away now. Reynolds93--you are a misery.
Reynolds93’s doom and gloom comments and Chris’ rose-colored glasses views about Harlem give this blog a nice balance :=)
ReplyDeleteReynolds93, Marcus is bringing a new restaurant to Harlem – I’m happy! What he’s doing is called PR …WE GET IT. MOVE ON!
Er, thanks JKA (I think) ;)
ReplyDelete*smiling @ Cool Blue Reason* For the voice of reason I wish to think I possess but don't have the gift of communicating. So eloquently and unbiasedly put. You get it. You just get it.
ReplyDeleteFor me - Whole Foods is way more convenient than Fairway and that's where I do my weekly shopping...Whole Foods. I've lived in Harlem for 6 years now (I also work in Harlem) and have only visited Fairway a handful of times whereas I'm a regular at 59th St Whole Foods (I always forget about the new one on 97th). I'm not mad at Marcus for that AT ALL and I can't wait to go to Red Rooster as I love eating out in the neighborhood. Hope to see you guys there! :-)
ReplyDelete