Sorrel Ice-Cream with Cucumber and Spruce Shoots

Anton Bjuhr

Anton Bjuhr started his career, after finishing high school, as a dishwasher at a fast food diner in his hometown, Storuman. He worked his way up and in six months or so he had joined the kitchen, where he stayed for another year and a half. This was the first time that he felt “at home”! He wanted to learn more, and since he hadn´t been to restaurant school he thought it was about time. He went to the French Culinary Institute in New York in the summer of ‘99 for the intensive study of classic French cuisine; it was easier to go to New York since he did´t speak French. While still at school, he started an internship at the Swedish restaurant, Aquavit. Post graduation, though, he moved back to Stockholm as his visa term was over. Back home, he got a job at a classic Swedish restaurant called Fem Små Hus, where he stayed for the winter. Then he moved to Sandhamn, in the archipelago of Stockholm, and started work at a restaurant called Sandhamns Wärdshus. He stayed there for a year. Being hungry for more, with some help, he got in touch with Bengt Sjöström at the restaurant Linnéa. Since there weren’t any openings at the time, he started as a stagier hoping for more. After some months he got his chance, so did another cook, Jacob Holmström, who started at the same time; this was the first time they worked together. Next stop was Oslo, Norway, where he got his first job at a Michelin starred restaurant- Le Canard. When the pastry chef left, Anton took his place and after that he never went back to the hot kitchen. The pastry kitchen was a new world for him; he loved it and wanted to learn more. After working at Le Canard for two years, he went to Strassbourg for some months to work as a stagier in Au Crocodile. Soon it was time for Paris. It was tough applying for jobs there as he was not well versed in French language. However, after a month or so of sending his resume to numerous restaurants, he finally got lucky- he got the chance to meet Chef Gagnaire and ask him for a job at Rue Balzac’s three Michelin starred restaurant, Pierre Gagnaire – he spent a trial week in the pastry kitchen and after the holidays he officially had a job at Pierre Gagnaire. This was huge! He had a job at one of the best restaurants in the world; it was a dream come true. After working all stations in the pastry kitchen at Rue Balzac for almost two years, he got the opportunity to be a part of the opening team of Pierre Gagnaire aux Les Airelles in Courchevelles. This was the first time he was responsible for desserts. This restaurant was open only for the winter season, so after six months he went to Dubai to be a part of the opening of Reflets par Pierre Gagnaire to help out and train the new staff in the bakery and to gain more experience because the next stop was Seoul in South-Korea and another opening. Pierre Gagnaire á Seoul was opened with him as the pastry chef, writing his own dessert menus! Here he worked again with chef de cuisine Jerome Roy, they had earlier been a team at Pierre Gagnaire aux Les Airelles in Courchevelles. He stayed there for two years. Finally, after several years abroad, he decided it was time for him to move back to Sweden. In Stockholm, he and Jacob started planning their own restaurant. After a year and a half they found the perfect location. Six months later, post renovations, they opened their first restaurant, Gastrologik, on October 27th, 2011. Within a year and six months later they received their first Michelin star. Anton is grateful that Pierre Gagnaire trusted him and gave him the opportunity to gain invaluable experience from working all over the world. This helped him in not only to gaining professional experience in the pastry kitchen but also in learning about his professional and personal strengths and weaknesses, as a chef and a leader.