Most chefs spend years working towards a Michelin star – but Hedone chef patron Mikael Jonsson has managed to achieve the ultimate accolade in just 14 months.
After making a drastic career change from lawyer to chef, he opened Hedone in Chiswick, West London – and has since been bombarded with applause for his cuisine, which combines high-quality ingredients with advanced techniques.
He tells Elite Traveler TV’s Maxine Ratty what makes his customers come back to the restaurant time and time again.
Swedish-born Jonsson’s journey into the fine dining scene has been anything but ordinary. A passionate foodie for more than 20 years, he suffered with severe allergies that prevented him from working as a chef, so instead pursued a career as commercial lawyer.
But when a new diet saw his asthma and eczema disappear, Jonsson grabbed the opportunity to open his first kitchen with both hands.
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Just a year after opening Hedone, he was honored with a Michelin star and has since won rave reviews and received the seal of approval from Elite Traveler’s restaurant critic Andy Hayler.
But Jonsson admits that following his dream hasn’t been easy. “It was a very, very risky move,” he says.
“It has paid off but it’s been an enormous amount of hard work, and has been a lot more difficult than I ever could have imagined.”
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When asked what has made his restaurant such a success, Jonsson puts it down to the passion that goes into the food.
“We are serving good food and we do it with great passion,” he says. “We tend to have a lot of returning customers.
“Our most regular client since we opened two years ago has been here 112 times.”
Click the video above to watch the full interview.
