Chef Marcus Samuelsson on his love for food, discovering the flavours of Montreal

In May, celebrated chef Marcus Samuelsson opened his first restaurant in Montreal. 

Known for his restaurant Red Rooster in New York City, and from appearances on cooking shows like Top Chef Masters and Chopped All Stars, the 48-year-old decided to expand his growing food empire into the heart of downtown Montreal.

Right in the Golden Square Mile, a towering mural of Leonard Cohen keeps watch over Samuelsson's open concept kitchen. 

"We always have the boss looking in and seeing that we're behaving," joked Samuelsson.

The menu at his restaurant, Marcus, is made up of 90 per cent seafood dishes.  

Born in Ethiopia and raised in Sweden, Samuelsson told CBC Montreal's Radio Noon that he delights in exploring food from all around the world and playing with different flavours. 

"I've been an immigrant six times," he said. "Breaking bread, eating someone else's food, is really a love letter of that culture."

He said food is the great link that helps people connect to their culture no matter where they are.

"Even if you move away somewhere, the first thing you hold on to is that food from your birthplace."

In preparing to launch his Montreal restaurant, Samuelsson said he took a "deep tissue" approach to getting to know what the city's existing culinary scene has to offer.

"You have these beautiful established restaurants — the world now knows about Joe Beef and so on," he said. "But then there's also these great immigrant restaurants, ones that are smaller mom and pops that are just really delicious and cool."

He's hoping to harness some of that food enthusiasm and offer up something Montrealers won't soon forget.

"As a chef, you can't ask for more than to have a city that's excited about what we do," he said.