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Join hosts Anastarcia Palacious and Renaldo Dorsett as they sit down with the people who shape Baha Mar: the chefs, the artists, the visionaries, and the guests to uncover the moments, the culture, and the quiet details that turn a destination into something unforgettable.
Because the real story of Baha Mar isn't in the brochure. It's in the people who live it!
Marcus: Hospitality, there will always be enough for everybody. I'm not a person that think you have to hear or see or taste something through the vision of one
Star: Welcome back to Beyond the Stay here at Baha Mar. I'm Anastasia Palacios, and you know that I love to be with you sharing about the rich experiences that happen beyond this day. Today, I am absolutely excited about the next guest we're about to have. We are celebrating five years of having this gentleman on our property, and what he has done in that time has been absolutely phenomenal.
I am talking about the icon of food. You've seen him across the Food Network, whether it was Top Chef or it was Chopped. You've seen him, and you love him. Perhaps you've tried some of his food here on property. If you had the fried chicken, if you had that cornbread, then you know who I'm talking about, the one and only Chef Marcus Samuelsson.
He joins us today for Beyond the Stay. Chef
Marcus: Welcome Thank you for having me. First of all, can we talk about those nails?
Star: We should talk about the nails.
Marcus: Each one of them are done differently. Amazing. Wow.
Star: Yeah. A l- That
Marcus: is beyond the stage
Star: That is beyond the stage That is beyond the stage I, I knew I was coming to interview you.
Check out the hat. Yeah. You always bring such color to everything you do. Matching. And so I said, "You know what? I'm gonna bring color for Chef Marcus"
Marcus: You know, because being in the Caribbean, for me it's all about flavor. Mm-hmm Right? Flavor's in everything, in the clothing, in the music, in the food. Mm-hmm.
And no matter where you are on the islands, there's always this progressive fun. You're listening to soca, you're listening to ska, something like that. So I feel like, you know what? Here we need to bring the flavors- Yeah ... in everything.
Star: I mean, and you do. You do that, certainly. Congratulations on five years.
Marcus: Thank you very much.
Star: How does that feel?
Marcus: Well, this is a huge week for us because not only are we celebrating five years-
Star: Mm-hmm ...
Marcus: uh, thanks to everybody here at Baha Mar, we're also bringing the best of the Caribbean, uh, which is a, hopefully a yearly event where we can bring the best chefs in the world to cook with us here.
And this year, actually, both of those chef happen to come from the Caribbean as well. Chef Paul Carmichael from t- uh, from Barbados- Mm-hmm ... New York.
Star: Mm-hmm.
Marcus: B- and, uh, Chef Triston Hibbs Long, Trini, New Y- via New York and Houston. So to be able to, in between the five years anniversary and the best of, we're also opening Vibe Barbecue.
So it's a huge week for us. And, um, when I tell you the collaboration and the partnership between our team and the Baha Mar team, only that week shows how hard and well we work together because we're creating big things, but it's not one person doing it alone. It's a whole team on both sides to make it happen.
Star: Listen, I, there are so many things I wanna talk to our audience about that will be happening this week, that has already happened, and what you bring in terms of your ideas, your energy, this desire to collaborate and see young people succeed. But I wanna go back a bit and start with the first thing that you did here- Yeah
which was Marcus at Baha Mar. What about The Bahamas, about Baha Mar made you said, "You know what? This is a place that I can bring the Marcus brand"?
Marcus: Yeah. Well, it's, it's honestly a lot have to do with Baha Mar and Graham. Graham had vision. We started to talk about a year before Baha Mar reopened- Mm-hmm
and I came down for the opening, and I was like, I knew about Baha Mar and then saw the opening, and I'm like, wow. And what impressed me was a place that was so majestic on both sides. And I was like, the backside with the sports activities and the beach, but it was a big idea. And I was like One day it would be great to do something together.
Uh, and Graham and I stayed in contact, and then he said, "I think I have the spot for you. It's not in the casino, it's down by the water." And I was like, "Oh, how are people gonna get there?" He's like, "I think they will come."
Star: Mm-hmm.
Marcus: For locals, it's a long walk. Sometimes you park the car, and then you still gotta walk in.
To ask people from the Roosevelt or SLS to leave properties and then kind of walk down there, it's not right away, like- Mm-hmm ... that easy to understand.
Star: Mm-hmm.
Marcus: But Balmar really brought out the best.
Star: Mm-hmm.
Marcus: And to do it during COVID.
Star: Mm-hmm.
Marcus: It would've been easier for Graham to say, "You know what? We're gonna wait, post this."
But we kept building, kept going during COVID, opened in the middle of COVID, and I needed it. I needed it on a spiritual level. I needed it, my team to be busy, uh, because during COVID it was so difficult in hospitality.
Star: Yeah.
Marcus: To, to get that call and say, "Hey, we're gonna do something. We believe in you." I just made that commitment to my team.
I said, "Hey, we're gonna put in the extra effort 'cause these guys believe in us in the lowest time of our, uh, career."
Star: Wow.
Marcus: And, uh, sometimes you can get, get a gift like that. And that's why I look at it.
Star: That's so beautiful. Like, I didn't know that story. Yeah. Um, a- and I get very emotional when I talk about these things, tears in my eyes, because you pour so much into your team here.
Mm-hmm. And I've seen that firsthand, and I didn't know that some of that had already been reciprocated to you by Graham already pouring into you and, and his belief. How important is that, Marcus? That continual pouring into each other- Mm ... especially when we don't know maybe that it's someone's lowest time.
Why do you think- Yeah ... it matters to you so much that you pour into people, especially your team here?
Marcus: Well, I'm, I'm not the first, but I'm very early in being a Black chef, and one of the first to have a global presence. So I acknowledge my position, but also have to acknowledge people that came before me.
And, you know, I, I cooked in Japan, I lived in Japan. I cooked in Switzerland and France, and where- wherever I was, no one looked like me. There was two things I never saw in the journey of working in three-star Michelin restaurant: people of color and women in the kitchen. And the woman who taught me everything was my grandmother, and being Black, you start thinking about representation, why is it and where are we?
And so I had to kinda hold on to my own role models and build, you know, start writing my own ideas, and one day, keeping holding onto that dream. So I looked at people like Basquiat, the artist, um, Prince, uh, Tribe Called Quest, people that operate on such a high level, and sometimes in spaces that they had to create themself.
And, uh, Prince was probably the biggest inspiration for me, like writing his music himself, s- playing every instrument himself, and I took that as, "Okay, I have to know as much as possible in the kitchen. I have to stay curious, I have to collaborate with people." Even if people haven't tasted that Ethiopian Swedish New York taste that eventually I want to build-
Star: Mm-hmm
Marcus: I should still go for it. So sometimes you have to go with your own vision, even if it hasn't been done before. So I, my promise as a young self, I said, "When I become a chef, the first thing I'm gonna do is to make sure women have a equal opportunity in the kitchen, and people of color get a chance." And Paul Carmichael that was here today, was one of my first hire.
Star: Wow. And, you know, I hear you talk about Prince, so I, I need to know, do you have a Purple Rain dish? I have to know it.
Marcus: Uh, you know what? You know, we work a lot with purple sweet potatoes- ... so that could be... We make uber pancakes. We use a lot of sweet potato in our cooking. Yeah, okay. So we're gonna do
Star: a Prince breakfast the next time you come. I sign up. This is your new inspiration.
Marcus: Sign up.
Star: And you gotta have some Purple Rain pancakes.
Marcus: Yes. I got you. I got you.
Star: All right. So, you know, I, I love hearing you talk about that, that personal connection to wanting to create spaces, and the fact that you brought these chefs together.
I have seen Chef Garrett, who happens to be a very good friend of mine-
Marcus: Cuz. Cuz ...
Star: my good cousin, and she's just, she's blossomed under your leadership. Mm. And she tells me that, you know, you ask and demand a lot- Mm ... but she always feels so supported. What is, for any leader watching this, you think the key to having people respect you as a leader?
Because she, she admires you. She just respects you. Mm. You push her to see herself differently. What is, what is the best thing a leader can do to kind of create that in a staff member?
Marcus: Once you start working together, you also establish goals that you see for yourself, for the team. When you build a restaurant like this, it's of course for the place and for the guests, but it's also what are the inner internal wins that we can have?
How can a bar back become a bartender? How can a server become a manager? And when I met Garrett, I knew right away she's gonna become our chef because she is a natural leader. She hadn't realized it herself yet, or maybe she hasn't been given the opportunity. And this is a big place. It's over 40 people in that kitchen.
Uh, it's over 70 servers. It's a big place. But I also felt like our opportunity is to provide jobs, executive jobs for the local staff. There's so many careers here at Balmar, right? You work in hospitality in a different side of hospitality. It's all hospitality and all different career paths. So when you see leaders like Nikia and Garrett, they're natural leaders.
People are ... You see at staff meal, people are drawn to them naturally. They're asking them small task constantly. I'm like, "Okay." She's the na- Cooking, I cooked all my life. My team, they're, they're really hardworking team members. So for us, it's about who can lead this when we're not here. Mm. Who can do a better job than us?
Because, you know, I don't know about local conch the way Garrett knows about it. I don't know which fish is borderline out fished that we can't fi- go for anymore.
Star: Mm-hmm.
Marcus: That's why we have to have a catch of the day. Mm-hmm. And she will know which one it is. So it's ... You cannot have a partnership if you think you gonna do everything, right?
And for me, there's a whole tribe under Garrett with Tsha and so many next, uh, young female local chefs are coming. They're gonna crush it out to the world. And sending in a little stardust, which the festival does, right? That the cooks get to rub shoulders with, you know, Carla Hall or Amanda, or people that they looked up to on TV.
No, now they're side by side. And because I was raised that way. I worked in kitchen when we had pop-up chefs or guest chefs coming. So I can one day see one day I ... This is possible. And now to have chefs that look like them, that have similar journeys, similar backstories, it's even more powerful.
Star: Yeah. Yeah.
And let's talk about that, 'cause you, you mentioned two things that I wanna get into, the first being the idea of the conch.
Marcus: Mm-hmm.
Star: Last night, I watched you-
Marcus: Mm ...
Star: paella style. Yeah. Crab and rice. Yeah. So for the Bahamians watching this, crab and rice, you know, is a, a local favorite, especially in the summer. Mm.
Uh, and for those who are visiting, try it out. Uh, crab and rice is absolutely phenomenal. But you, you shifted it. Yeah. You made it your own. Yeah. You had it, um, you know, cooking on this very large ... Is that a wok? Mm-hmm. Um, and you had your teammates, uh, serving it up with you- Yeah ... and dishing it up. What about Bahamian flavors- Yeah
stand out for you?
Marcus: Well, I think first of all, it's, it's a very diverse landscape with the 700 islands and keys, right? So if you're in the south, you're closer to Cuba, and if you look, like, you know- Yeah ... so it, it has ... And you have a crab island. You have a cat island. You have all of these things. But I do think the first thing that I really wanted to understand was conch.
We have conch in Florida, but not the same way. I've had Bahamian food in the States many times, uh, especially in Florida. Uh, I think my favorite Bahamian food is still Bahamian breakfast, just like fish and grits, right? Yeah. Mm-hmm. The broth is so clean and so on. So I love the purity of fresh fish- With grits and broth.
But then for me conch was like, okay, let's do fritters. So it's a fun way for our, particularly our tourists, for them to get a chance to bite into it, right? Once you've done that, to do a conch salad is not a problem at all, especially if you've had ceviche before or something like that. But you kinda have to s- set it up in different stages and different steps.
Star: And then the other thing you'd mentioned previously was, you know, sprinkling a little of that fairy dust- Yeah ... of some of the phenomenal chefs you've worked with from around the world, having them come down for the festival. So if you don't know, Baha Mar has this amazing Bahamas Culinary and Arts Festival, also celebrating year five.
Mm-hmm. Not by coincidence, because when you started Marcus- Yeah ... you and Graham also came up with this concept of let's take our culinary, uh, style to the world, and you brought in your chefs. I was there with you the first year. Yeah. I've been with you for these past five years. You hosted every year, and it's amazing.
Hosted every year. Yeah. Thank you. It's ... I've watched it grow, though. Yeah. And I have guests who've come back since the first year, and they come back every year. Some of them even change their travel plans- Yeah ... once the dates are announced to come back. But also- How
Marcus: does that feel? ... a big shout out, shout out to John Cox and his team, you know, because there is many things going on there.
Mm. And Graham and John is really working on creating Baha Mar as a artistic Art Basel in a way, right? That he, he grew from ... Last year I think John had 20 Caribbean nations represented in the art festival. Mm. Right? So th- that brings its own energy and excellence, and showing that, you know, as people of color, we're not monolithic.
We know this, of course, but sometimes we have to articulate it for other people that f- might not fully understand even what we're talking about. And you can take that as an African, you can take it as an African American, or as somebody that's Caribbean, right? Mm-hmm. Because Trini is not Jamaica, and Jamaica- No.
is not Bahamas, right? Simple thing for us to understand, but for a lot of people, they actually don't know what's the difference. Yeah. So art- Mm ... music, and food is some of the best way to articulate the different between griot from Haiti, jerk from Jamaica, and let's say conch fritters from Bahamas, right?
So the festival with this art scene does that, but bringing in amazing star chefs, and that's was something that Graham and I talked about from the beginning. This should be the best chefs. Mm. So the staff gets a chance to see the best of the best, and then the culinary experiences that, that our guests flying in for or coming to- Are fabulous.
Mm-hmm. And then to top it up with a A-list of performance every year, you know, from Lenny Kravitz- Mm ... to this year, uh, OneRepublic, to all the, you know, Boyz II Men. We've had so many great stars. And, and that's how Balmoral put it together. It's always on a very high level. Right. And I love the fact when the local participates and feel like this is part of our culture as well, uh, with the Junkanoo, but also being, just being, being part of it and taking pride in it.
Star: Yeah. And, you know, I feel so much of that love for our culture when I go to Marcus. Mm. Whether I'm at Marcus up top and I'm- Yeah ... seeing the sunset, and I'm wowed by that, or even just for dinner. Yeah. Like last night, I, I had the opportunity to go to your invitational, where you brought in these Caribbean chefs, along with Chef Garret and her team, and we walked in.
There was, uh, what we call gully wash. Um, you know, sky juice, the gin and coconut water, and it was in a coconut shell. And then we sat down, we ate your delicious food, and the food's prepared by the chef. When people dine at Marcus- Mm ... what experience of The Bahamas do you want them to have?
Marcus: Well, the key word is experience.
It's a full-on experience. You're coming into this bar that is cool. You sit kinda, like, around a conch shell. There are aesthetic things that- All, and it's John's team that has curated, so I did not wanna take credit for it, but we wanted to create an environment that felt both respecting the past of Bahamas, but also modern.
Star: Yeah.
Marcus: Modern. Mm-hmm. Right? We're in the present future. Yeah. Right? Cocktail program that is modern, and then you evolving into these four distinct places: the bar, the dining room, and then you look to the left, it's this big kitchen- Mm ... where you are drawn to look at the chefs, and they're all Bahamian cooking for you.
Then there's a private area. Then, of course, the patio, and where you sat, um, in the garden. Mm-hmm. So distinct dining experiences. I want you to come back several times. And then of course up top, which is if you're just coming for a cocktail at sun- sundown- Mm ... just to watch it and be part of it. Mm. It is a fabulous place to sit.
Um, and I couldn't be prouder of the team. And, and success is important, but then it's what you do with it, right? We're actually the, the number one restaurant for Hyatt worldwide.
Star: Wow. Congratulations. Well,
Marcus: that's into the entire team. And I just think that numbers matters. Mm-hmm. It creates more jobs. Mm-hmm.
And end of the day, that's important for us to do.
Star: So let's talk about this week that you've had- Yeah ... and celebrating year five of Marcus, of creating this restaurant that's number one for Hyatt worldwide. How did you come up with curating these experiences? Mm. What was your thought process in saying, "I'd like them to have this, and I'd like it to have that"?
Yeah. What goes into that for you?
Marcus: Well, in the Chop House, for me, it's been an evolving journey. Uh, being so close to the water, bringing in local seafood was key, which also creates a local economy. Mm-hmm. Right? Mm-hmm. Knowing that we would focus on meats and fish, having these dry agers in there where we dry age the meat and fish, so it's pure
When we, when we slice it for you, it is at its peak. Right. And that's a technical term that for you as a guest, you don't have to know that. That's for us in the kitchen. Mm-hmm. So a fish that comes in fresh, we hang it for six, seven days till the water is out of it, so it reaches its peak. Uh, the way you dry age meat, for example, right?
But then also being transparent and showing all that. So for me, dining is a theatrical experience. Mm. Closer to a circus, uh, theater experience. Eating- You can eat that so many different ways, right? But when you come to us, you might dress up, you might not, but we are gonna g- give you an experience so when you leave, you feel better about yourself than whether you're on vacation or you live here, but you're gonna feel like, "Oh, this was fun.
I wanna spend ... I wanna come back and I wanna tell my friends about it."
Star: Listen, you had me at dining should be theatrical. Yeah. I always tell people I don't like drama in real life, but you give me drama in food, drinks- Yeah ... and clothing- Yeah ... and I am here for it, Marcus. I'm here. And that's how I felt, uh, dining with you, um, at one of your events this week.
Mm-hmm. Like, ev- I, the food would come out and my husband's just so happy. I said, "I am," because this is an experience to eat this- Yeah ... this fish this way. Yeah. You know? Um, and so I love that you do that. In addition to what you're curating here on Baha Mar property, you're actually going to be exploring the island- Yes
doing, like, a private kind of chef's tour. Yes. What are you hoping to find as you explore Nassau and, and try local cuisines that are not on property?
Marcus: I mean, getting out of pro- property's important, and obviously did it more before we opened, 'cause I had more time to, to do it. Mm-hmm. But, A, supporting other chefs and seeing other things, learning there are other ways to do things, and also meeting locals that are, you know
Locals have been one of the things that I've been the most excited about, being part of their celebrations, whether it's birthdays, 50th, 60th, whatever it is, right? And then they're coming back and saying, "Hey, we have a place now that is ours, like, our, uh, it's at this level where we wanna bring our big celebration to."
Yeah. 'Cause everyone in their lives have those moment that they wanna feel special. But also- Nostalgia in food is also important. So a lot of the food that we think about, we think about it from basically your grandmother's memories. Mm-hmm. And then it's our job to elevate it to a way where it fits at 8:00 at a theatrical experience, right?
So there's always nods back to home, and yesterday was an example to show that. And I think at Vibe BBQ there will be even more of that because Marcus is a family restaurant, but Vibe is truly a family restaurant because you can eat at any time of the day.
Star: Okay.
Marcus: Good vibes only.
Star: Okay.
Marcus: Right? I'm down for it.
Good vibes only. Um, and the flavors are all barbecue. We all love cueing, right? Mm-hmm. Whether it's jerk out of the Caribbean, whether it's barbacoa out of Mexico, or Korean barbecue, barbecue is happening all over the world, or Kansas or Texas- Mm ... and that's what we celebrating. We want you to get sticky fingers.
It's okay. Lick your fingers. We got kitchen towels. But it's a vibing way of dining. Mm-hmm. It's the way you rip that roti or that cornbread, you create your own little taco, you know? Getting hungry. Getting
Star: hungry, guys.
Marcus: Yeah.
Star: So Marcus, you know, one of the things you also do every time I see you, there are young chefs around you.
And they're not even technically chefs yet. Yeah. We're calling them young chefs. They're high school students. They're learning about cooking in kitchens for the first time, hoping to make it ca- a career possibly. Why do you invest so much time in making sure that you and your staff and y- the chefs you bring down spend times with young kids who are just starting their journey?
Marcus: Well, I think the beginning is really... I come from a very simple beginning in, uh, Ethiopia in Africa. I was born in a hut, in a very, very, basically twice the size of this table. Wow. And when you come from something like that, and hospitality is a business that's all about upper mobility- Mm-hmm ... and I am a child of that.
I've been fortunate. I've had, uh, many people that have supported me in my journey- Mm-hmm ... uh, besides my parents. But I've had many mentors that came up to me and said, "Hey, we're gonna send you abroad," or, "We're gonna, we're gonna bet on you," and, "You're gonna come with me on this event." And I was part of a team cooking for the Swedish king when I was 20 years old.
Wow. And when I was 24, I ran the whole event. Mm-hmm. I would never have been able to do that if I wasn't even- Part of that first team because even although I, I wasn't in charge as a 20-year-old, but I learned the procedure. When do you ... You're not allowed to sit. What is the process? How do you order the food?
How do you keep it a secret? All of those things that's, you have to learn, I learned it through that way. Well, couple of years later, I was cooking for the US president, with President Clinton. I've learned those processes by cooking for the Swedish king. They're very similar. And then all the way to doing the first state dinner for Barack Ob- Obama.
So as a ... I've had mentors throughout my lifetime that have set up goals that was a little bit ... I had to reach, right? The way I have to push G- I don't have to push Garrett because Garrett is a self-starter. Oh. But I'm setting up goals for Garrett.
Star: Mm-hmm.
Marcus: We brought her to the 50 Best in Las Vegas. I
Star: saw that.
Marcus: And I said, "Garrett, you now belong here. You're not my guest here. You are here to do something- Mm ... and learn." And this year she went by herself. Yeah. And next year she's go- she might host it. Do you know what I mean? But she had to see it- Yeah ... and be in that room- Mm ... and look around and say, "I belong." And so she can't do all that unless someone is showing her the pathway to do it.
Star: Having these young people see you and the other chefs is about opening a pathway. Yeah. Opening up the door for them to say, "I can do this, too."
Marcus: Hospitality, there will always be enough for everybody. I'm not a person to think you have to hear or see or taste something through the vision of one. Absolutely not.
You know, great music, you can like Beyonce and Rihanna. You don't have to ... Or, and Taylor. You don't have to be one, right? We can like so many multiples, right? And I feel like I've had mentors that guided me through this process, so my job now is just to create more jobs for young people and put self-starters in those positions, and they will take care of the rest.
Star: I th- think mentors and you, who are someone who is intentionally mentoring, is such a beautiful thing, but there are so many young people, I wonder sometimes if they even know what skills are necessary to kind of become somebody that shines- Mm ... that people take an interest in. If there was one skill that you would want every young person to have, who you would say, "This is a skill that is necessary for success," what would that skill be?
Marcus: Well, I can't talk about that without giving a big shout-out to Bahamian parents. And sometimes you can't speak for everybody, but in this case, I can. I worked all over the world. I've never worked with people more polite and eager to wanna learn. Skill is on all different levels because people have been...
Some are more experienced, some are less experienced. Mm-hmm. But just the, the fundamental being, sending the kids off and being ready for work- Okay ... I have to give the parents the biggest shout-out. Because the young people I work with here are all eager, extremely polite. And when I say polite, also come ready for work.
We, we don't talk about... I've never had show up on time. I've never had those con- type of conversation. So come with an attitude ready to work. Be of service, and sometimes that can mean many different things. Mm-hmm. Like yesterday the cooks had to serve. That's not part of their job description, but we had to because we, you know, that's part of hospitality.
So once you're part of us, many things that are not on the job description might happen. A- and if you're ready to receive that, you're gonna go far. And you know, now Garrett has Vestia, for example, which the next one coming, and she has two or three that she's not even telling me about them coming. Right?
And it, and it's because she's setting that stage for the next one.
Star: Yeah. And that's, this is so powerful. You know, uh, as people get ready for Vibes, as we've enjoyed the, you know, the, the dinner that you had recently with the chefs from Trinidad and Barbados, I mean, the food was so divine. It was the first time I had had, um, like ice cream in a frozen coconut.
Yeah. And it's like, you know, the, the, the creativity- Yeah ... that you all inspire with each other, is that why collaboration is important?
Marcus: Even the hors d'oeuvres that Tristan did was a play of a Trinidadian doubles, right? And when you ate it with a curry, you feel the te- that's what... 'Cause it was like you're reminiscing, "What is it I'm tasting," right?
And then when Paul and I, we've been talking about young coconut, and in here and in Caribbean you can find it. By the time it gets to the States, it's very, you know, that coconut jelly's dried out.
Star: Yeah, yeah.
Marcus: Uh, but we, Paul was very adamant, "I wanna serve it in the shell." It, it's just amazing, too. We don't h- it shows we don't have to go outside our culture anymore.
We can cook within our culture, and we can bring our culture with us, and it will be delicious. And so it's a, I think as a young chef, you have to, there's a border, there's a thin line between confidence and arrogance, right? You should be confident about your culture- Mm-hmm ... and put that work ethic, and work on your craftsmanship.
Then you will bring a premium product to the table wherever you go.
Star: What are you most excited for about the future?
Marcus: My journey in hospitality is still evolving, and the fact that I worked 30 years in hospitality, and I feel like I have so much more to learn. I've always said to myself, "The day I don't think this is fun anymore, I'm not excited, I will quit."
Mm-hmm. Because you ... When I enter a room, I need to enter with a certain level of joy. Mm-hmm. And when people see me, they need to receive that joy, and I can see it in the eyes, right? If s- there's joy is gone, we shouldn't be doing this anymore. There's many ways, there's other restaurants you can go to.
There's other people I can im- I can have impact in other different ways. Uh, so for me, understanding more the intersection between technology and hospitality, learning how that can empower small business owners and have them reach more customers, looking even more locally to see how we can discover more islands here, for example.
So I'm excited about the future. I'm excited about Vibe, for people to come and try it. We're gonna have many fun events there. We're gonna have fun local DJs that can play anything from country to local music, and sit and vibe on that, on that beautiful patio and just hang out and have a good time.
Star: Yeah.
I, I'm looking forward to seeing what else you will do, uh, because you're such a creative, and I love the way that you inspire creativity, and you can feel that in your presence. So, so thank you for bringing that energy here. Beyond the Stays, what this podcast is called, what do you wish guests knew about Baha Mar beyond just the physical parts of the resorts that they may see?
Marcus: When the guests come to Baha Mar, they're also supporting- So many local project that they might not see on the property. The team here that work here, they commit to charities 365 throughout the islands, whether it's beach cleaning, whether it's just agriculture infrastructure, right? You see we sit in this lush environment.
Well, someone is taking care of that. That is not just happening. Whether it's cleaning up the waters. So the, the, the commitment to service to the island and beyond is actually what you're supporting when you come to Balmoral, which is quietly... You might see a sign somewhere about it, but you might not.
You might also miss it. Yeah. But that's also what Balmoral is
Star: about. Yeah, beyond the stay, for sure. So outside of Marcus the mentor and Marcus the creator of phenomenal restaurants and events, who is Marcus Samuelsson when you are away from the lights- Mm ... and away from the kitchen, and it's a little quieter?
Marcus: Well, you see me running around after Grace and Zion. That's a big part of my life, right? Uh, making sure that, um, Zion doesn't jump from the highest cliff- ... or Grace is not throwing sand at some other kid, you know? 'Cause that might happen. And, and I love that life that, you know, real life, right? Being with your family that is just like you say, outside the kitchen, and with those daily challenges.
And I, I love watching them grow. And you know, Grace is into dance, and Zion is totally into his taekwondo, and watching them grow in those two spaces and, and being there just as a support.
Star: That's pretty cool to watch kids grow. Mm-hmm. Uh, I'm watching mine grow, and I'm learning as, as well, right? Mm-hmm. Like seeing the world- Yes
from a new perspective.
Marcus: Absolutely.
Star: And I think that's what being a parent has- Mm ... changed about me, and I think it's made me maybe even more grounded- Mm ... because you get to see the world from a different place.
Marcus: Absolutely. And the question childrens ask, right? They're very pure, but it can be any question any given time, and I'm like- Yeah
"Oh, where did that come from?" You know? I'm like, "All right. I'm gonna explain this," you know?
Star: Has it, has it changed the way you chef, the way you cook, being a father?
Marcus: I think I think about children's palate on a
very different level and meeting them where they're at, but still making something really good. Okay.
Star: Yeah. Good, good. So your kids don't only eat tenders and fries then? No. They get to explore new things. Yeah. That's pretty exciting. All right, if you had one perfect day at Bahamar, one, how would you spend it?
Marcus: I would start, and this is how very... Maya and I, we walk the beach in the morning early, 'cause it's such a beautiful place, uh, to just discover, and slow down on that when you walk back because there's... And look in the water. Start with a walk and a swim. I'd probably jump in one of the boats and, and go to another key or island.
Come back, have lunch at any of the great restaurants, and then I personally would play tennis in the back, 'cause it's something I always try to get to when I'm here, but I don't- ... so most of the time. And hang out there. And then I would come back down to dinner with my family and, and just enjoy. And hopefully it's Junkanoo week, so then you can like-
see that and participate in that. Yeah. 'Cause it's such a fun way. But leaving for a half-a-day trip, it's, it's always fun too.
Star: Yeah. I think that's a pretty, pretty good way to spend your time at Baha Mar. All right, so we're gonna wrap up with something that we call rapid fire.
Marcus: Yeah.
Star: And you've gotta give me a choice, Marcus.
Yeah. You can't say, "Uh, I don't know." You, you've gotta choose.
Marcus: Go- I got you.
Star: Got... Okay, ready? All right. Let's go for it. Coffee or cocktail?
Marcus: Coffee.
Star: Okay. Favorite dish on the Marcus menu?
Marcus: Soon come.
Star: Soon come, all right. Beach or city?
Marcus: Beach.
Star: Beach. Okay, now- I love
Marcus: the city though.
Star: I love the city. That was a hard one.
That was a hard one. That was hard. That was a hard one. All right. One Bahamian ingredient you love cooking with?
Marcus: Conch.
Star: Okay. And if you weren't a chef, what would you be?
Marcus: I probably would've been a artist of some sort.
Star: Okay. Yeah. I can see that. Yeah. 'Cause your food is art. Yeah. And so I can see that. All right, one word to describe Baha Mar.
Marcus: Delicious.
Star: Yes. Love it.
Marcus: Delicious.
Star: Best word. Best word. All right, as we celebrate this incredible five-year milestone of the Marcus brand here at Baha Mar, as we look forward to year five of our Bahamas Culinary and Arts Festival, is there any words that you wanna leave with guests who've supported you here at Baha Mar over the years, and the team, um, that has helped them to dine with you over these years?
Marcus: Well, first and foremost, I wanna say thank you. It's with a lot of gratitude that we celebrate the five years. A lot of people have been part of this journey. I have a lot of gratitude f- towards Graham. Also, people like John Cox. Because creatively, he helped me see a different side of Bahamas through the artist.
And just walking through his spaces and meeting the artist, it got me to understand not just Nassau. Uh, I have a lot of gratitude to the entire staff, led by Nikia and, uh, Chef Garrett. Uh, but also thank you to all the guests that when we haven't had a perfect day, when we had a lot of room to a- approve, they still came back.
You know? On a good day, when everybody's- Excited for you. It's easy. But, you know, I have a lot of gratitude. It, um, any restaurant, uh, is there's room to improve on a daily ba- basis. So I know that. But when people give you a second chance, you should take it.
Star: I love that, and that should be a lesson for life.
Whenever we get a second chance, we should take it. So Marcus, thank you. Thank you. Thank you for giving me a chance to come on the podcast.
Marcus: And I'll see you- See you ... at the festival.
Star: At the festival. It's going to be dynamic. If- Better than
Marcus: ever ...
Star: if you happen to miss this amazing week of celebrations from Marcus, please follow Marcus at Baha Mar.
You're gonna wanna make sure that you're- Yeah ... staying in tune because so many things are happening. Vibes is getting started, and you wanna be there. Join us for the Culinary and Arts Festival. If not this year, then next year. Put it in your calendar- Yeah ... because Chef Marcus will be back. It has been such a pleasure chatting with you, learning more about your story.
I think you continue to inspire a generation on how to inspire others, on how to give back, on how to move forward and grow while still bringing people along, and that's just a beautiful thing. I appreciate it. So thank you so much.
Marcus: Thank you so much.
Star: You've been watching- Any time ... me On This Day at Baha Mar.
I'm Anastarcia, and we'll be back with more next time. Bye.
Marcus: Bye.