Harlem chef Marcus Samuelsson is taking a page out of his late friend Anthony Bourdain's book and hosting a new travel show about food and culture.
Unlike Bourdain, however, Samuelsson won't be leaving the country–hence the title of the series, "No Passport Required." Instead he'll be shining a light on America's vibrant immigrant communities.
"We want to go to six cities and tell the stories of immigrant experiences in this country through food," said the Red Rooster chef in the promo for the show, which airs tonight at 9pm on PBS.
The first stop is Detroit, Michigan–specifically Dearborn, sometimes also called the capital of Arab America. According to The Detroit News, the episode follows Samuelsson as he munches on falafel with photojournalist Salwan Georges, breaks bread with a Syrian refugee family, and cooks Lebanese pies with a local pastry chef.
“Right now the immigrant experience is talked about in the news every day and it's a false narrative that’s being told about immigrants ... we wanted to show something that’s, A: How patriotic immigrants are and B: How much they contribute to entrepreneurship and our country, and Dearborn and Detroit are an excellent example of that and something we can all be proud about,” he told the newspaper.
Other destinations this season include Queens, Chicago, New Orleans, Miami and Washington, D.C., home to a huge Ethiopian community (and Samuelsson's birth country).
Let's hope it's a hit–Harlem's Little Senegal would be a great next stop.
