Samuelsson's path to cooking stardom was far from the norm. Orphaned in Ethiopia at age 3 after his mother died of tuberculosis, Samuelsson and his sister were adopted by a family in Gothenburg, Sweden. It was there in the kitchen alongside his adopted grandmother, Helga, that Samuelsson grew to love cooking.

The book recounts his culinary growth, including his earning a three-star rating from the New York Times while head chef at Aquavit. At the time, he was only 24 years old, the youngest chef to receive that coveted ranking.

Since then, he's cooked at the first state dinner hosted by the Obamas in the White House, and opened the very popular Red Rooster and Ginny's Supper Club (downstairs from Red Rooster).

He'll be the guest chef at a special, already sold-out, dinner at Camino restaurant in Oakland on July 11. The event kicks off with a 6 p.m. meet-and-greet with snacks and drinks, in which Samuelsson will sign copies of his book. That's followed at 7 p.m. by a sit-down, three-course dinner inspired by his book. 

July 12 at 12:30 p.m., Samuelsson will be the guest chef at a lunch hosted by Chef Traci des Jardins at her Jardiniere restaurant in San Francisco. Tickets are $110 per person.

At 6 p.m. July 12, Samuelsson will sign copies of his book at Book Passage at the San Francisco Ferry Building.