LEAD CHEF
Niklas has been one of the most influential chefs in putting modern Scandinavian cooking on the global map. After spending time at el Bulli, The Fat Duck and Chicago’s now-closed Charlie Trotter, in 1999 he successfully opened his debut restaurant Niklas at the age of twenty-one, followed by Niklas i Viken in 2003. After his food show, Mat, aired on Swedish national television, he felt it was time to return to his roots.
Growing up in Järpen, a small village in Jämtland in the northern part of Sweden, Niklas spent long periods outdoors exploring the Stockholm archipelago, where he found himself drawn to the woods and its vast expanse of birch trees. He started researching ancient cooking techniques and extensively read eighteenth-century cookbooks, inspiring him to launch a restaurant that would pay homage to Sweden’s pre-electrical cuisine, but also his childhood and heritage. His open fire restaurant, Ekstedt, launched in 2011 and showcases his bold, primal and radical return to ancient cooking. Ekstedt doesn’t use electricity, nor gas, and instead makes excellent use only of a fire pit, wood-fired oven and wood stove. Critical acclaim was followed by a Michelin star in 2013, with the restaurant now firmly established as one of the premier gastronomic destinations in Scandinavia.
Recent years have seen Niklas spreading to his passion for open flame cooking to new shores, with the opening of his London restaurant, Ekstedt at the Yard. The author of six cookbooks, Niklas has published three in the UK including Scandinavian Classics, Food from the Fire and Happy Food. He has made appearances on Saturday Kitchen, This Morning and Classic Mary Berry, and at festivals such as Meatopia, Wilderness and Taste of London. Most recently Niklas has organised Foodstock, a new festival celebrating the Nordic culinary arts.
A spearhead in the progression of Stockholm’s exploding food scene, Niklas' innovative recipes and techniques have had a profound impact on the culinary scene worldwide.
FOLLOW ALONG
Be the first to hear about new experiences and receive exclusive content from our chefs and riders.
