The Medici Effect, With a New Preface and Discussion Guide

CHAPTER three

Break Down the Barriers Between Fields

SEA URCHIN LOLLIPOPS AND DARWIN’S FINCHES

IN EARLY JANUARY of 1995, Jan Sandel, the executive chef at the Swedish restaurant Aquavit in New York City, unexpectedly died of a heart attack. The owner, Håkan Swahn, immediately had to find someone to head up the kitchen. He decided to place newly hired Marcus Samuelsson in charge while he searched for a permanent replacement. But Swahn was hesitant because Samuelsson was quite young. “Our organization was big and complex, and our reputation was excellent. It is not the type of operation you just hand over to a twenty-four-year-old,” he explained. In retrospect, it may have been the best decision he ever made.

At the time, Aquavit had become a ...