Leif Mannerström - Sweden’s Culinary Ambassador

TEXT: MICHAEL HELANDER PHOTOS: LISA NESTORSON & JENNIE BÖRJESSON

“Try to be a good chef. Cook well and you will have a lot of people eating in your restaurant.” Those are the words that Sweden’s celebrity chef Leif Mannerström hears in his head everyday...words spoken by his father...words that he has built his entire career upon.


         Over the past ten years, Mannerström has been recognized twice by his own peers as Sweden’s best chef. And his restaurant, Sjömagasinet, is one of four restaurants in Gothenburg to have a star in the Guide Rouge (previously the Michelin Guide). It is the restaurant to experience while in Gothenburg.
         Mannerström has served the King and Queen of Sweden. The many celebrities that have dined in his restaurant include First Lady Laura Bush, Bono (U2), Bruce Springsteen, and the Rolling Stones. And it was Mannerström who was chef to President Bush during his visit to Gothenburg in 2002.
         Sjömagasinet, located in a historic building that was built by the Swedish East Indian Company in 1775, exudes an ambiance befitting the old marina upon which it is located. As the aroma from the catch-of-the-day seeps from the kitchen, the staff sit down for their preparatory meeting, laughing and smiling. Despite numerous phone calls and staff interruptions, Mannerström settles in for the interview as if it were the most important thing for him to do that day.


Why do you think Gothenburg and the west coast have emerged as the gastronomic centre of Sweden?
When my partner and I started la nouvelle cuisine in Gothenburg in the 70s, there were some good restaurants, but there were no very good restaurants. Then, the capital of restaurants was Stockholm, where I was born. My partner and I started a ‘Björn Borg era of cooking’ here (if you do something well, everyone wants to do it). Now the younger chefs want to get to my level and that is why Gothenburg is emerging. Four restaurants in Gothenburg have a star in the Guide Rouge. We’d easily have ten restaurants that should be listed in the Guide, and Stockholm has 15, and they would be listed if we were located in the middle of France.

Since you have been a chef for so long, does it still excite you? Are you still able to come up with new ideas?
Absolutely! Every day. I just finished my last cookbook and I have already started my next one.

Who does the cooking at home?
We both cook, my wife and I. We eat quite simple food in our home as every chef does, pork chops, sausages…normal food.

I read a quote where you said that when you took over Sjömagasinet in 1994 you plan to serve with göteborgsk humor (Gothenburg humour).
I meant that going to a restaurant has nothing to do with going to church. There are some restaurants where the staff is better than the guests, snobby. They are golden and you can’t get a table. Others have ‘guerillas’ (large, tough-looking men) in the entrance. I don’t like that. It’s terrible. I think you should talk with the people. You don’t need to be so serious to run a restaurant, even with good food and a good wine list. All that needs to be said is “Hello, welcome to my restaurant. Good-bye, thank you very much. I hope you were happy with us. I hope to see you again soon.” We have much to learn from the service attitude in the United States. Here at Sjömagasinet if any of my staff do not provide good service, then they will have a problem with me!

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
My grandmother was a chef and a restaurant owner, and so was my father. I had a dream to be a fighter pilot. I went through the military training and I was in the top 15 candidates out of 300. They only chose eight. So I went home to my father and he said: “Come back and be a chef.”

What is the best thing about being a chef?
All of the exciting people that I meet.

What about your own celebrity? Do people recognize you when you walk in town?
Yes, of course. I have people who will walk up to me and ask for a good sauce for a fish that they have just bought, and I always try to help them. If you are well-known, you must be friendly to people.

What is your favorite food?
There is no specific dish. But, it must be honest food. Do not try to cheat me with food. I know (the difference).

Tell us something about yourself that most people do not know.
I am a very nice person. I may look a little bit tough, but I am not.

What would you say that every Expat needs to experience in Sweden while they are living here?
Learn to eat really good Swedish food. Come to Sjömagasinet for Julbord during the holidays. It is fantastic.