Magnus Nilsson (chef)
Magnus Nilsson | |
|---|---|
 Magnus Nilsson, at Identità Golose 2011 | |
| Born | 28 November 1983 Jämtland County, Sweden |
| Culinary career | |
| Cooking style | New Nordic cuisine |
Current restaurant(s) | |
Magnus Nilsson (born 28th of November 1983) is a Swedish chef who is head chef at the restaurant Fäviken in Sweden. He had previously worked at L'Astrance and L'Arpège in France, before moving onto Fäviken in 2008, which is currently ranked the 25th best restaurant in the world.
Career
Although a family story is told of Nilsson cooking his first meal at the age of three, his first culinary memory is of chopping cucumbers at his grandmother's farm. He had originally wanted to become a marine biologist, but instead attended a local cookery college.[1]
He moved to Paris and began to work at the Michelin starred restaurant L'Arpège under Alain Passard. He worked there for a couple of weeks before being fired as he was finding it hard to understand the other chefs as his French wasn't as good as he initially thought it was. He joined the team at Pascal Barbot's L'Astrance and worked there for the next three years.[2]
Afterwards he took a break from cooking, and decided to become a wine writer.[1] He had become disillusioned with cooking after he returned to his homeland as he found it hard to source ingredients in Sweden that were as good as those in France, and he also felt that the dishes he was putting together were simply copies of those from Barbot.[2] After he attended oenology school,[2] he was recruited in 2008 to put together a wine cellar as a sommelier by the new owner of the Fäviken estate, some 600 kilometres (370 mi) north of Stockholm, Sweden. He was originally under contract for three months, which was extended to a year when he began working at the restaurant. After failing to find a chef to work there, he returned to the kitchen himself and became head chef.[1][3]
After initially ordering ingredients from around the world, the restaurant became known for using local produce.[1] Because of the local climate over the winter, efforts are made to preserve ingredients, Nilsson said "We say goodbye to fresh ingredients on the first of October, and then we don't see them again until April."[4] Due to the techniques and sourcing of ingredients that Nilsson uses, comparisons have been made to René Redzepi of Noma.[1] In 2010, Bruce Palling of The Wall Street Journal, included Nilsson is his list of the top ten young chefs in Europe.[5]
In 2014, season 3 of PBS's The Mind of a Chef series featured chef Nilsson in episodes 9 through 16. Each episode showed a different aspect of the chef's interest in Nordic cuisine and traditions and his process in creating dishes for Fäviken. Episode 16, titled "Fäviken," gave viewers a behind the scene look during a dinner service at the restaurant.[6]
In 2015, Nilsson was one of six chefs featured on Netflix's original documentary program, Chef's Table.
Personal life
Nilsson who lives in nearby Mörsil likes to go hunting, particularly for black grouse. As of 2009, he owns a gun dog named Krut.[1] He and his wife Tove have three children.
Published works
- Nilsson, Magnus (2012). Fäviken. London: Phaidon Press. ISBN 978-0714864709.
- Nilsson, Magnus (2015). The Nordic Cookbook. London: Phaidon Press. ISBN 978-0714868721.
References
- ^ a b c d e f Jenkins, Allan (22 January 2012). "Magnus Nilsson: the rising star of Nordic cooking". The Observer. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
- ^ a b c Ulla, Gabe (24 April 2012). "Chef Magnus Nilsson on the Story of Fäviken". Eater.com. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
- ^ "Q&A: Chef Magnus Nilsson". Qantas. 1 October 2011. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
- ^ Moskin, Julia (24 August 2011). "New Nordic cuisine draws disciples". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
- ^ Palling, Bruce (9 November 2010). "Top 10 Young Chefs in Europe". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
- ^ http://www.pbs.org/food/features/the-mind-of-a-chef-episode-descriptions/