Marcus Samuelsson (born Kassahun Tsegie; Amharic: ካሳሁን ፅጌ 25 January 1971) is an Ethiopian-born Swedish-American celebrity chef, restaurateur and television personality.

ASK ETHIOPIANS WHEN AND WHERE their first restaurant opened in America and they'll probably tell you it happened in Washington, D.C., in 1978 with the arrival of Mamma Desta.

The United States has around 350 Ethiopian and Eritrean restaurants – fewer than the number of Chinese restaurants in New York City alone. A lot of these restaurants have websites or Facebook pages, and thanks to people who have posted videos on the internet, you can “visit” many of the restaurants.

Ethiopians began settling Washington, D.C. after the Derg overthrew Emperor of Ethiopia Haile Selassie in 1974. Ethiopians moved to Adams Morgan in the 1980s. Adams Morgan served as a center of business of the Ethiopian community. In the mid-1990s many Ethiopians began moving to the U Street area.