It happens fairly frequently in “No Passport Required.” Marcus Samuelsson, host of the new six-episode program which premieres Tuesday, July 10 on PBS and Eater, is invited into a home and he’s in the kitchen cooking alongside the mom or grandma of an immigrant family. He’s making a very special heirloom recipe and Granny has no problem telling the James Beard award winner and cookbook author that he’s screwing up.
The series could almost be called “Watch Little Old Ladies Boss Chef Marcus Around.” Suggesting the title draws a laugh from Samuelsson who says he checks his ego at the door when the camera rolls.
“When you deal with grandmas and uncles in the kitchen there’s no space for that,” he says. “It’s about love for the culture and a deep curiosity around food. What makes this taste better? Where does it come from? What culture is it inspired by?
“Those are genuine questions that I want to know about. With a camera there, I’m so lucky to be able to share that story.”
The show explores food culture by traveling to ethnic enclaves in large American cities. Samuelsson and his crew film specialty markets, fine and casual dining experiences and meals in the homes of families who reveal secrets of their authentic recipes.
It’s a dream job for a global multi-cultural chef who was born in Ethiopia and raised in Sweden. (Two-year-old Marcus, his sister and birth mother all had tuberculosis and his mother carried her children 75 miles to the nearest hospital for help, but did not herself survive. So, he was adopted by a Swedish family.)
In Sweden, Samuelsson grew up cooking meatballs, pickling vegetables and preparing other traditional dishes with his grandmother who was a professional chef.
Eventually, he went to culinary school, worked in kitchens all over the world and first made a splash in 1995 at tony Manhattan restaurant, Aquavit. The winner of Bravo’s “Top Chef Masters” in 2010, he opened his restaurant, Red Rooster Harlem, that same year.
We caught up with the articulate chef in a recent telephone interview. The conversation ranged from executive producing the show to his friendship with Anthony Bourdain and his thoughts on the Obamas’ deal with Netflix.
Q: So how did this show happen?
A: It was a combination of me and Vox (Media). We were talking a long time about doing a project together that would be a fit — a traveling show — and being an immigrant and having a deep love for America, it really suited me. Eater and I tossed it around for a long time and tweaked it, and once PBS came on board they brought on all their expertise.
Q: This season you’re going to Detroit (Middle Eastern community), Chicago (Mexican), Queens, N.Y. (Indo-Guyanese), Miami (Haitian), and D.C. (Ethiopian). And you dedicated the first episode to Anthony Bourdain.
A: Tony was a huge, huge inspiration of mine and a dear friend. My wife and I are still healing. But also our industry is still hurting, we’re grieving.
Q: Your show is different from Bourdain’s, but does it share a similar message of getting people out of their comfort zone?
A: I learned a lot from Tony. TV is such a powerful tool, you can be in someone’s living room and share food but that’s not the only thing you share, you can learn about culture, accents, work ethics and so many things once you’re breaking bread with people. Tony was a master of this and bringing us to new countries we would never have been exposed to. This show has a lot of that but we focus on America.
Q: The show has an insider’s feel. I lived near Detroit for years and never knew about these Arab communities. How do you research where to go?
A: Eater knows the local scene in these cities very well. PBS provides a lot of data and information. We want it to be just like you said, that maybe you come from New Orleans but didn’t know about the Vietnamese community there. I’ve lived in New York a long time and didn’t know that much about the Guyanese community.
Q: Some of the scenes in episode 1 are astounding: the pastry chef inventing a halva Snickers bar dessert, the kid who preferred pizza to the Middle Eastern feast. Is it a chance for you to learn?
A: Absolutely and it’s also this idea of great food and great techniques didn’t just come from one country or from Europe they can come from Vietnam or from Syria.
Q: Do Americans tend to under-value ethnic food?
A: What I’ve learned from cooking with Vietnamese families is that these techniques are just as difficult as those of any French chef and they should be regarded with the same value.
Q: There’s a lot of pressure for chefs to be celebrities. Do you enjoy fame or is it a hassle?
A: I’ve never thought of myself as a celebrity. But if I’m known, and that helps get people to view the show, then that’s great.
Q: But you have an incredible backstory! I want to see the movie of your memoir, “Yes, Chef!” Who should play your mom?
A: Uma Thurman has got to play my mom because she’s Swedish!
Q: Who should play you?
A: Maybe now that Michael B. Jordan has been to Ethiopia and Wakanda – maybe he could!
Q: You were the first chef to cook a state dinner for the Obamas at the White House. What did you think when you heard they cut a deal with Netflix?
A: I can’t wait for Netflix and the Obamas to work together. Talk about a time when we definitely need great content … And let’s face it: We really, really need some Barack and Michelle right now.
Q: Do these shows dispel common myths?
A: They evoke conversation and curiosity. We can learn from one another that Arab Americans have been here for a very long time and they contribute and can make our communities richer – not that false narrative that they’re dangerous people.
Q: These shows are easy to watch, right?
A: You can watch it on PBS and Eater, so that even if you’re working or traveling you don’t have to miss a thing.
‘No Passport Required’
When: Premieres Tuesday, July 10. All episodes air at 9 p.m. on PBS SoCal and are available beginning at that time on eater.com and pbs.org.
Episodes:
“Detroit” – 9 p.m. Tuesday, July 10
“New Orleans” – Tuesday, July 17
“Chicago” – Tuesday, July 24
“Queens, NYC” – Tuesday, July 31
“Miami” – Tuesday, August 7
“D.C.” – Tuesday, August 14
