The Food Allergy You Probably Didn't Know Marcus Samuelsson Has

Chef Marcus Samuelsson is a respected chef who is devoted to food. As per Embroker, the chef had an enthusiastic grandmother who loved food and taught him to appreciate the importance of celebrating food in many ways. As a child, he helped her prepare jars of homemade jam, bake Swedish apple cake, and pickle vegetables. 

Now, as a professional chef, Samuelsson is much-loved for his invaluable contribution to the industry. He knows that being in this business is pretty hard. When he was asked about the biggest risks he's taken in life, he said that being a chef was the greatest leap of faith. He said, "Risk, reward ... Lots of people have two, three, many jobs before finding their one thing. But I've been in only one but that's another thing."

When it comes to his personal food preferences, Marcus Samuelsson has an undying love for tacos. He told Mashed in an exclusive interview that he has a special tradition surrounding the food. "I just love late-night tacos in L.A. ... It's just one of those runs that I like to do late — go on Lincoln and just [find] one of those taco stands," he said. As for the food item that he can't eat, it's a surprisingly common ingredient.

Marcus Samuelsson told The Food Network in an interview that he cannot eat buckwheat because he is allergic to the ingredient. This automatically makes him dislike buckwheat in any form. As per Grubstreet, the chef once had to deal with a scary incident when he ate bread before his TV appearance on "Good Morning Sweden." The chef didn't know that the food item had buckwheat and his body reacted pretty quickly. He said, "My whole system shut down in front of live TV ... I'm on the floor."

He had to take medication during a commercial break to recover. It took almost 30 minutes before he felt like he could get back to the shoot. This has made the chef more mindful of allergies and he ensures that staff members at his eatery Aquavit always ask guests about their allergies. Samuelsson's takeaway from the incident was positive. He said, "I consider it a blessing because I put myself in the mind of the customer."