day with some new ideas that
I usually have to abandon as
the day moves forward. Things
come up that have to be dealt
with. I’ve got to be prepared for
the possibility that anything can
go wrong. Sometimes you open
the kitchen and realize that
your daily food shipment hasn’t
arrived, and then you have to
start making calls.
Henrik also talks about the most
rewarding parts of his job.
- Happy customers are always
really fun but the last couple
of years I’ve appreciated
having a happy staff and that
everyone is having fun. I love
finding young, talented people
for my kitchen and helping
them become even better.
That has been really rewarding,
especially when they leave
and I hear from another chef
that they’re doing a great job
at their new kitchen. It’s like
sending off your own kids and
then you see them thrive.
Henrik is notably excited when
he talks about his line of work.
After meeting him several times
we’ve gotten a good picture of
who he is and what he values
in life. At work, Henrik values
great cooking, and he often
explains parts of his job with
an enthusiasm you can only
achieve if you truly love what
you do. But what is next for
a chef who is satisfied being
where he is in life? What does
the future hold?
- It’s hard to say where I am a
year from today. Hopefully I
don’t have as much work as
I have today. I still want to be
close to the ovens and stoves in
the kitchen and in a sense get
Four quick questions!
back into the production line,
that’s what I love.
If you were alone on a desert
island, what 3 things would you
At the end of our interview bring with you?
Henrik gives us a peek into the - A knife, flint to make fire with
future and what he has cooking and a fishing line.
for himself.
- I’m planning on opening my What’s your favorite restaurant
own restaurant, I want to put in the world?
my own name above the door - Right now I would have to
of my own restaurant and say say Isacaia, a small ramen bar
“This is my place, here I can in Washington D.C. It’s cheap,
show the guests what I can you get a big bowl of ramen
do”. I’d like to start with a small and every bite is just fantastic.
BYOB or a bistro but the process
is long and you need to find an If you were able to cook
investor that believes in you. together with a famous person,
With a BYOB you don’t have to who would you chose?
have the same capital to begin - Stefan Ekegren. He is a great
with so that would be a great Swedish chef in Gothenburg.
first step and then take it from He has a blog called “kökstugg”
there. It’s also a great testing and I read it daily. I love the way
ground to start with.
he thinks about food. He’s folksy
“I want to put my
own name above the
door of my own
restaurant and say
‘This is my place’”
and he knows a lot about food
and everything around it.
If you could chose a power to
obtain overnight, what would
you chose?
- To be able to hold hot things
with my bare hands. Hot pans,
firewood
without
- It would definitely be hard burning
work, I would have to start with burning my hands.
a small staff and I would have
to work around the clock for the Henrik Ringbom is currently a
first 6 months, but Philadelphia chef at Brauhaus-Schmitz in
would be a great place to Philadelphia, where he lives
do it. There’s a huge interest with his wife and daughter.
in food and many interesting
restaurants and of course, the Check out Henrik’s twitter
people are fantastic. A Swedish @Hringbom where he uses the
or Scandinavian restaurant is hashtag #phillyswede
something this city is missing and
I believe it would be a success.
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