QUOTE: Marcus Samuelsson

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“You’ve heard me say that black people had to work really hard to get out of the kitchen and now they have to work really hard to get back in — I don’t want you to think I’m being negative.  For decades, many blacks were reluctant to pursue a profession that was associated with servitude.  If you went to school it was to become a lawyer or doctor.  Older generations didn’t understand why one would spend money to learn how to chop, peel, dice, and sauté vegetables when that trade could be taught at home.  The attitude was that those jobs were beneath us and there were better opportunities available; why would anyone want to work in a kitchen?”

– Marcus Samuelsson (Owner, Red Rooster, Harlem, NYC)