>>> HEY THERE. WELCOME BACK. SUPERSTAR CHEF AND EIGHT-TIME JAMES BEARD AWARD WINNER MARCUS SAMUELSSON IS TAKING YOU INSIDE SOME OF THE MOST ICONIC RESTAURANTS IN HIS NEW AUDIO SERIES, "SEAT AT THE TABLE," AND HE BROUGHT US AN EARLY LUNCH. PLEASE WELCOME MARCUS SAMUELSSON. ♪ [ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ] >> HOW'S EVERYBODY? >> IT'S AN AMAZING PODCAST. IT'S AN AMAZING PODCAST ABOUT -- >> THANK YOU. >> -- GREAT RESTAURANTS. TELL US WHAT'S HAPPENING HERE. >> LISTEN. IT WAS SUCH AN -- IT WAS SO MUCH FUN TO SHARE THESE STORIES. IT'S INCREDIBLE RESTAURANT STORIES AND THEY'RE NOT JUST RESTAURANT STORIES. THEY'RE AMERICAN STORIES, RIGHT? TELLING THE STORY OF THE FIRST INTEGRATED RESTAURANT IN AMERICA, AND THEN BEN'S CHILI BOWLS IN WASHINGTON, D.C. HOW A RESTAURANT CAN BECOME PART OF POP CULTURE, AND SO ON. SO IT'S JUST, YOU KNOW, BUT ONE OF MY STORIES IS THE STORY OF JEZEBEL AND MISS ALBERTA. >> THAT WAS THE HOT SPOT. >> YOU WERE THERE. >> IT'S AN OLD SPOT. >> SHE MIGHT HAVE BEEN THERE, BUT I LIVED THERE. >> EXACTLY. >> THAT WAS THE '80s. >> THAT WAS UP THE STREET FROM MY THEATER. >> WAS IT? >> THAT'S WHERE WE CAME TO EAT ALL THE TIME. >> THAT WAS JUST -- >> THAT'S THE SPOT. >> WE DO WANT TO SAY HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO YOU BECAUSE LAST TIME WE SAW YOU, WE WERE IN A WARMER CLIMATE IN THE BAHAMAS. >>YES. >> WITH YOUR DELICIOUS FOOD. >> YES. YOUR DELICIOUS FOOD. >> WERE YOU IN THE BAHAMAS WITH US? >> I WAS NOT. IT'S GREAT TO MEET YOU. >> WE ALWAYS GOT BAHAMAS. IT WASs AMAZING. >> WHAT HAPPENS IN THE BAHAMAS STAYS IN THE BAHAMAS. >> EXCEPT IF YOU TELL JOY. >> WHAT DID I DO? I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT. >> IT'S ALL GOOD. >> TELL US ABOUT THE HOLIDAYS BECAUSE I CAN ONLY IMAGINE WHAT A SAMUELSSON CHRISTMAS IS, WITH YORE WIFE AND GRACE. >> IT'S ABOUT MY SON SOUS CHEF, ZION. HE'S NOT THE BEST EATER. HE'S 6, BUT HE LOVES TO COOK WITH US. IT'S ABOUT FOOD AND CELEBRATING THE HOLIDAYS, YES. DO YOU WANT SOME OF THAT SOUP? >> WE GOT IT. >> SPEAKING OF YOUR SON ZION. HE'S THE CUTEST LITTLE SOUS CHEF. YOU SAID YOU LEARNED TO COOK FROM YOUR GRANDMOTHER. >> FROM MY GRANDMOTHER. >> ARE YOU ALSO TEACHING YOUR SON A LOVE TO COOK? >> COMING FROM MY GRANDMOTHER, YOU HAVE TO WORK. THERE'S ALWAYS A SEASON FOR SOMETHING, AND THAT'S WHERE I FOUND THE LOVE FOR FOOD AND EVEN IN OUR NEW RESTAURANT WHICH IS ALL RUN BY WOMEN. EVERY LEADERSHIP POSITION IS ABOUT WOMEN, BUT I FEEL LIKE THAT'S -- IT'S MY AUNTIES AND MOTHERS GETTING CHANNELED. >> ARE YOU EATING? >> AR ARE YOU GUYS EATING? >> IT'S KIND OF EARLY. >> I WAS STUFFING MY FACE, BUT THE LAST TIME WE DID SEE YOU WAS IN THE BAHAMAS. I LOVE THAT SEAFOOD STEW THAT YOU SERVED. I KEPT ON EATING IT EVERY SINGLE DAY. >> I WAS HAPPY TO SEE ANA THE OTHER DAY. IT WAS LIKE A PRINCE ON THE HOT THING. SHE WAS STANDING THERE. HER HAIR WAS, LIKE, WAVING. ANA NAVARRO, WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE AT 6B OR WHATEVER? SHE WAS GOING BACK TO MIAMI. I SAW HER. >> YES. >> YOU WERE THERE. >> THEY TOLD ON ME. I SNEAK INTO HIS HARLEM RESTAURANT ALL THE TIME AND YOU HAVE GOT THE BEST DRINKS AND THE BEST FOOD THERE. >> WAIT A MINUTE. WHOOPI AND I WENT TO A PREEMIER TOGETHER AND I SAID TO MY WIFE, YOU CANNOT -- WE WERE LATE. YOU CANNOT BUMP WHOOPI GOLDBERG HERE AT THE MOVIE THEATER. I SAID, WHATEVER YOU DO, WALK CAREFULLY. >> SHE WAS SITTING RIGHT THERE. YOU KNOW. [ LAUGHTER ] >> WELL, YOU OPENED UP A NEW RESTAURANT WHICH I WILL VISIT VERY SHORTLY. IT'S HERE IN NEW YORK, AND YOU BROUGHT US SOME FOOD WE'RE TRYING. TELL US ABOUT THE NEW RESTAURANT AND ABOUT ALL THIS STUFF. >> THIS IS AMAZING. >> OKAY. SO MY BACKGROUND, I GREW UP IN SWEDEN, BUT I'M FROM ETHIOPIA, RIGHT? ONE WORD MEANS OCEAN AND ONE WORD MEANS HONEY. IT'S GREAT SEAFOOD DISHES AND CELEBRATION OF WOMEN. THE PEOPLE WHO TAUGHT ME HOW TO COOK, YOU KNOW. WOMEN IN RESTAURANTS ARE NOT ALWAYS GETTING THE PLATFORM THAT THEY SHOULD, AND THIS RESTAURANT IS ALL ABOUT CELEBRATING WOMEN OF COLOR IN THE HOTEL INDUSTRY, AND IT WAS DESIGNED BY DERRICK ADAMS, SO IT'S ALL ABOUT BLACK MERM MERMAIDS. IT'S GORGEOUS. YOU SHOULD BE THERE, SUNNY. >> I WILL GO. >> YES. ABSOLUTELY. >> MORE, PLEASE. >> WHAT ARE WE EATING? >> YOU'RE EATING THE SHEET CRAB SOUP. OVER HERE, YOU HAVE A KOBE BEEF LASAGNA. >> OH, KOBE BEEF? >> OH, IT'S EXCELLENT. >> THESE ARE PLANTAINS AND RIGHT NEXT TO THIS IS AN ETHIOPIAN DISH CALLED DORO WAT. I SAVED THE BEST FOR LAST. COLLARD GREENS. >> CAN YOU WRAP THIS UP LATER? >> WITH YOU. >> I'M NOT HUNGRY YET. IT'S EARLY FOR LUNCH. >> YOU GOT IT. YOUR CREW IS THE BEST. THE PARTY IS IN THE BACK. THEY ARE AMAZING. CAN I SAY THAT? >> WE'RE REALLY LUCKY. WE'RE REALLY LUCKY BECAUSE IT AWAYS WORKS WELL. CAN I HAVE SOME MORE CRAB, AND -- >> OF COURSE. >> AND POMEGRANATE. >> WHOOPI, LET'S TALK ABOUT JEZEBEL BECAUSE I KNOW YOU WERE THERE THERE. >> I WAS THERE THERE. >> ALBERTA WRIGHT WAS JUST AN INCREDIBLE SHERO THAT MADE THAT HAPPEN. >> SHE'S ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE THAT FORCED ME BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, I'M A VERY PICKY EATER. >> YOU ARE A VERY PICKY EATER. >> MORE SOUP. >> WHAT HAPPENED? I'M GOING TO TELL THIS STORY REALLY FAST. THANKS TO MARCUS SAMUELSSON. THE NEW AUDIO SERIES IS "SEAT AT THE TABLE." IT'S AVA