This is the story of how an adoptee from Ethiopia came to be an inspiration for feeding two adoptees from Russia. My kids.

If you are a foodie in New York City, you've probably heard of Marcus Samuelsson, the chef of Aquavit. Samuelsson, born in Ethiopia, was orphaned at three by a tuberculosis epidemic and was adopted by a couple in Sweden. There, a child of a famine-plagued nation grew up to be one of the world's most interesting chefs. I heard him talk about his early food influences about a decade ago when he gave a talk at Peter Kump's, the Manhattan cooking school now known as the Institute of Culinary Education.

Samuelsson's Swedish grandmother cooked for a wealthy family. He spent a lot of time in her kitchen, learning how to cook, what to cook, and how to appreciate the bounty that grew around them. He learned to cook with the seasons and appreciate both the simple food of ordinary Swedes and global tastes brought to Sweden by its explorers.

I went to his talk because my maternal grandfather was born in Sweden, not far from where Samuelsson grew up. My grandfather's family was desperately poor, and basically kicked him out of the house at 16 to make a new life for the family in Minnesota. He worked as a lumberjack and a trolley car driver, and eventually brought over most of his brothers and sisters. I was very young when he died, and unfortunately never learned much of Swedish traditions from him.

But get to the Russian adoption point, Virginia. OK, it is this: I've mused before on what role taste memories may have played in the food choices that my kids make now, about how they gravitate to the very Russian triad of potatoes, beets and cucumbers. But thanks to Samuelsson, I began to think about building a taste palate in a child who might only have had very limited food choices since birth. I can't say that my kids are the best global eaters now, but they are almost always willing to give a new dish a try.

Samuelsson published his take on Swedish cooking, Aquavit: And the New Scandinavian Cuisine, in 2003. My sisters and I gave a copy to mom for her birthday, and we regularly pass it around for inspiration. Last fall, he turned his talents to the food of his native continent, The Soul of a New Cuisine: A Discovery of the Foods and Flavors of Africa. Since 2000, he has also served as a U.S. Fund for UNICEF ambassador, raising awareness about the plight of some of the world's most at-risk children. You can read about his work for UNICEF here.

Photo Credit: Buck Ennis, Crain's New York Business