For 2024 NHL Stadium Series, Samuelsson brings new flair to popular local dishes

To chef Marcus Samuelsson, food and hockey means fun and culture.

On Thursday, at his new restaurant in the American Dream in East Rutherford, NJ, the Top Chef Masters champion hosted an event to exhibit four specialty dishes to celebrate the 2024 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series.

Each of the four dishes represented one of the teams participating in the outdoor event this weekend, and their cities.

“I want the fans to be able to see the cities, see themselves, in the food because that’s what they do with the teams,” said Samuelsson at Marcus Live Bar & Grill. “They identify themselves through the teams and every team has its own character. The character of that locale. … So the food has to speak to that.”

Samuelsson took inspiration from the four teams playing throughout the weekend – the New York Rangers, New York Islanders, New Jersey Devils and Philadelphia Flyers – and what each team means to its city.

“Thinking about the character of the cities … looking at these four destinations – classic hockey teams, classic blue collar, hard-working people that just want to have a good meal and a good time,” Samuelsson said.

For the Rangers, Samuelsson made a Hot Honey Pepperoni Pizza; for the Islanders a Crispy Crab Cake Sandwich; for the Devils a Jersey Boy Pizza with Taylor Ham and Grilled Pineapple, and for the Flyers a Philly Chopped Cheesesteak with Caramelized Onions.

Samuelsson – who is from Sweden – donned a Rangers Stadium Series jersey throughout the event and mentioned his friendship with fellow Swede and legendary Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist.

With that, it's clear who Samuelsson will be cheering on for this weekend.

“I have to root for the Rangers,” Samuelsson said with a smile. “Henrik would slap me if I didn’t root for the Rangers. You can’t show up in a Rangers shirt and not root for them.”

Clearly, Samuelsson took full advantage of this opportunity to combine two of his passions – sports and food.

“It’s such a joy to do this because I love hockey,” Samuelsson said. “It’s something that’s just fun that we can do. Food and sports should be about fun and culture so I can’t wait to celebrate and see what’s going to happen.”