Stockholm Food Stories: Finding Bocuse in Stockholm

Through the years, Stockholm has also achieved great successes in the competition, and can proudly claim one gold medal and four second place medals. And the Bocuse d’Or medalists are all represented in Stockholm.

Stockholm is home to nine Michelin-starred restaurants, and the country’s best chefs are based in the capital city. Stockholm has a distinct food culture that is based on its cultural heritage and the nature that surrounds the city. We begin with our own, locally produced ingredients and we don’t believe in complicating things. Our innovative chefs push the evolution of our food culture further by blazing their own trails and continuously seeking new ways to present our cuisine.

Tommy Myllymäki: Silver medalist 2011 with a thirst for redemption
Sweden’s latest medalist also has the best chance of winning the next competition. He took home the silver medal at the Bocuse d’Or in 2011. And now, it’s time for redemption. Tommy is representing Stockholm and Sweden in Bocuse d’Or 2015. He won Bocuse d’Or Europe 2014.

During his restaurant program training in Katrineholm, he staged at Mathias Dahlgren’s restaurant Bon Lloc, which was in conjunction with Mathias’ Bocuse d’Or win. Tommy was inspired. He continued his career with well-reputed chef Erik Lallerstedt at Gondolen and Eriks Bakficka. He was named Chef of the Year in 2007 and has frequented various TV programs since then.

Tommy is the creative director of the Stockholm restaurants Sturehof, Riche and Teatergrillen, as well as the slightly newer Taverna Brillo. Tommy describes his food as good and uncomplicated, but still interesting and sophisticated.

• Sturehof, Stureplan 2, Östermalm: www.sturehof.com/
• Riche, Birger Jarlsgatan 4, Östermalm: http://riche.se/
• Teatergrillen, Nybrogatan 3, Östermalm: www.teatergrillen.se/
• Taverna Brillo, Sturegatan 6, Östermalm: http://tavernabrillo.se/
• Luzette, Centralplan 25: http://www.luzette.se/

Mathias Dahlgren: Star-studded gold medalist
In 1997, Mathias Dahlgren did something no other Swede has managed to do since: he won the Bocuse d’Or, an event he has called the most important of his career. Mathias has extensive experience in the restaurant industry, with several Michelin stars to his name. He was one of the founders of Fredsgatan 12, along with Melker Andersson, and he ran the restaurant Bon Lloc from 1996-2005. Both restaurants have a Michelin star. Mathias is honorary president of Bocuse d’Or Europe in Stockholm.

Since 2007, he has been operating eponymous restaurants at Stockholm’s Grand Hôtel. The three different restaurants offer complementary experiences – Matsalen, Matbaren and Matbordet. “Matsalen” is a modern gastronomic restaurant that has had two Michelin stars since 2009; “Matbaren” is described as a modern bistro, and has also been awarded a star. “Matbordet” is Mathias Dahlgren’s latest initiative. Meals of the future are created around the dining table in a social setting, where only four of the ten seats can be reserved.

What unifies Mathias Dahlgren’s restaurants is his goal to use the best ingredients here and now, whether from Sweden or the rest of the world. Mathias describes his cuisine as open to local ingredients and global influences.

• Matsalen, Grand Hôtel Södra Blasieholmshamnen 8, Norrmalm.
• Matbaren, Grand Hôtel Södra Blasieholmshamnen 8, Norrmalm.
• Matbordet, Grand Hôtel Södra Blasieholmshamnen 8, Norrmalm. www.mathiasdahlgren.com

Melker Andersson: From silver place to restaurant king
Melker Andersson was the first Swede to stand on the awards podium. In 1995, he took home the Bocuse d’Or silver medal, and the rest, as they say, is history. He has worked at the three-star Moulin de Mougins in Cannes, among other places.

Today, he runs some ten restaurants in downtown Stockholm and has been involved in several TV shows. Melker’s restaurant empire includes Fredsgatan 12 (F12), which has had a Michelin star since 1997. F12 is now turning into Publico. All of Melker’s restaurants have one thing in common: none of them are anything alike.

• Publico, Fredsgatan 12, City: www.gruppf12.se
• Smak, Oxtorgsgatan 14, Norrmalm: http://restaurangentm.com/
• Brasserie Le Rouge, Brunnsgränd 2-4, Gamla Stan http://lerouge.se/
• Miss Voon, Sturegatan 22, Östermalm: http://missvoon.se/
• Vigårda, Norrlandsgatan 13, City:http://vigarda.se/
• Kött och Fiskbaren, Gamla Brogatan 40: http://vigarda.se

You’ll find all of the restaurants at http://gruppf12.com/

Henrik Norström: The heart of local growing
Henrik Norström competed and won the silver in 2001. He is a multi-award-winning chef who runs three restaurants in Stockholm. Best known is Lux Stockholm, which opened in 2003 and had a Michelin star from 2004-2013. Last year, Henrik decided to shut down Lux Stockholm to focus on a simpler and more wallet-friendly concept. The result was Lux Dag för Dag.

Henrik uses locally grown Swedish ingredients from small producers and features them front and center in his dishes, which is key to his food philosophy and also applicable to his other two restaurants: the Asian-inspired EAT, and B.A.R., which serves popular seafood dishes.

• Lux Dag för Dag, Primusgatan 116, Lilla Essingen. www.luxdagfordag.se/
• EAT, Jakobsbergsgatan 15, Norrmalm. http://eatrestaurant.se/
• Blasieholmens Akvarium and Restaurang B.A.R, Blasieholmsgatan 4A, Norrmalm. http://restaurangbar.se/

Jonas Lundgren: Nordic ingredients and personal flavor experiences
The next Swedish Bocuse d’Or medalist was coached by Henrik Norström and won the 2009 silver medal: Jonas Lundgren. Jonas has worked at several starred restaurants abroad, including three-starred The French Laundry in Napa Valley and Pierre Gagnaire in Paris.

In 2011, he opened Restaurang Jonas on Kungsholmen in Stockholm. Jonas found the idea of combining Nordic ingredients with his own, personal flavor experiences too compelling to not make it a reality. Today he runs Yolo (You Only Live Once) with natural and locally grown ingredients and Swedish tastes as a main focus.

• Yolo, Vendevägen 14, Djursholm: http://www.yolo.se/

L’Académie Suédoise de Bocuse d’Or
Sweden was the first country in the world to open a local Bocuse d’Or academy: L’Académie Suédoise de Bocuse d’Or. It was founded in 1990 by Sven-Gunnar Svensson to take care of and manage Sweden’s Bocuse d’Or participation. Numerous countries have founded similar academies that are based on the Swedish academy’s approach. The Swedish Bocuse d’Or Academy is now included in Gastronomi Sverige (Gastronomy Sweden). www.gastronomisverige.se

Swedish Bocuse d’Or results 1987 – 2013:

2013 Adam Dahlberg (6th place) www.adamalbin.se, Stockholm

2011 Tommy Myllymäki (Bocuse d’Argent – silver) see above

2009 Jonas Lundgren (Bocuse d’Argent – silver) see above

2007 Markus Aujalay (5th place) www.winterviken.se, Stockholm

2005 Jonas Dahlbom (4th place) Åre

2003 Paul Svensson (5th place) www.paulsvensson.se Stockholm

2001 Henrik Norström (Bocuse d’Argent – silver) see above

1997 Mathias Dahlgren (Bocuse d’Or – gold) see above

1995 Melker Andersson (Bocuse d’Argent – silver) see above

1993 Fredrik Eriksson (7th place) www.langbrovardshus.se Stockholm

1991 Crister Svantesson (5th place)

1989 Crister Svantesson (12th place)

1987 Christer Lingström  

Additional resources

• mediabank.visitstockholm.com (stock shots and images from Stockholm)
• imagebank.sweden.se (wide selection of Stockholm images)
• visitstockholm.com 

For more information contact

Ann-Charlotte Jönsson, PR Manager, Stockholm Business Region, tel: +46(0)8-50828507, ann-charlotte.jonsson@stockholm.se