Celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson and his partner Maya Haile have welcomed their second child together! The Chopped judge took to Instagram to announce his child’s birth and share the first pictures of his little one.
It’s a girl! Marcus shared three images to announce his daughter’s arrival, one that feature him and Maya holding their baby girl in the hospital, another with her big brother, and one of the newborn in a hospital bassinet. The couple chose to name their daughter Grace Ethiopia. Grace is a Latin name that means “Charm.” Marcus and Maya previously shared this news in December when they announced they were growing their family.
The couple, who are both Ethiopian, revealed at the time why they chose to give their daughter the middle name of Ethiopia. “Our fellow Ethiopians have experienced such a difficult year,” Marcus wrote at the time, “so it means a lot to us to honor and celebrate our country of origin through the birth of our daughter. We are sending our joy and light to you and our community.”
Aside from being their home country, the couple was also married in Ethiopia. They tied the knot in the country’s capital, Addis Ababa, in 2009. Seven years later in July of 2016, Marcus and Maya, a model, welcomed their first child together, a son named Zion Mandela. The New York Times Bestselling Author has another child as well, an adult daughter named Zoe, from a previous relationship.
Congratulations to Marcus and Maya on the arrival of their first daughter together. We wish them all the best as they welcome baby Grace into the family.
Kate Fann (she/her) is the BabyNames.com celebrity blogger, as well as an established content writer, aspiring author, and social media expert. She has been featured in online publications such as Bolde, ManoByte, Medium, The Social Observer, and more. Kate has ghostwritten numerous romance novels and is currently working on publishing her own works in the Young Adult genre.
Kate lives in East Tennessee with her husband Casey and her two sons, Quinn and Noah. When she's not writing or scrolling Instagram, Kate can be found tasting delicious wines, playing with make-up, baking yummy treats, or hiking the beautiful Smoky Mountains.
