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Michelin star level dining at your home
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BACKGROUND
I grew up on a sheep farm on a beautiful small island off the north west coast of Sweden.
There, we grew organic vegetables, and produced honey that we sold in our family run farm shop and exported to supermarkets on the mainland.
My mother is a great cook and was always cooking and baking bread. It was probably from standing next to her, cooking every day that lured me into the passion for cooking.
I left the island at 16 to move to Gothenburg to pursue 3 years of culinary school at Ester Mosessons Gymnasium.
After culinary school I gained a position at a restaurant where a young Shane Osborne (later at 2* Pied a Terre, in London) had just been made head chef, he was a great inspiration and revoked my passion for food, he was also the person who suggested I try my luck in London, after he decided to move back to London, I gained a position at the renowned Fiskekrogen in Gothenburg for 3 years. I then moved to London at the end of 1997.
I worked at the Blue Print Café with Jeremy Lee and at the Square with Philip Howard.
In 2001, I decided to moved back to Sweden for a year, and after, travelled Southeast Asia and Australia/New Zealand.
I returned to London in 2003 and worked with my friend Mark Jankel (who I met at the square) when he was running the Notting Hill Brasserie.
In 2004 I took on my first Head Chef position at a highly regarded gastro pub - the Anglesea Arms in Hammersmith. I worked there for 3 years. I was then hired by Henry Harris for the Head Chef position at Henry and Eric Garnier's regional french bistro Racine.
Following Racine, I was opening Head Chef for the Boundary Restaurant in Shoreditch, in 2008 with Prescott & Conran. Then opening Head chef at Dover Street Arts Club in 2011 under Raphael Duntoye as Chef Director. Next, 4 years at Lutyens as Executive Chef (fleet street). And lastly, in 2016, Executive Chef at Aquavit London were we attained a coveted Michelin star after 10 months of opening. I moved on from my position at Aquavit London in July 2019
Tel: +44 (0) 7909 615223 |
Email: hritzen@icloud.com
For me the most important thing is quality of produce and it's provenance; I always strive to use local produce wherever possible. I am inspired by the different seasons and excited about using an ingredient for only a few weeks a year. This way my food is forever changing, never allowing it to become static, constantly creating new dishes. My approach to cooking is simplistic with the focus on freshness and letting the produce speak for itself. My flavour combinations draw on my Nordic roots but there are no strict rules.
I'm passionate about making people feel good through food and will always strive to make sure everyone leaves with a satisfied palette and a meal they will remember.
Contact Henrik Ritzén
Tel: +44 (0) 7909 615223 | Email: hritzen@icloud.com
