Chef Robert Sandberg was recently announced as the Worldchefs Hans Bueschkens Young Chef Challenge 2016 winner. The 24 year old has worked at some of the world’s best kitchens, such as Michelin-starred Noma in Copenhagen and Maaemo in Oslo. Today Chef Robert is part of the small team at Michelin-starred Frantzén and member of the Swedish Junior Culinary Team.
Congratulations on winning the Hans Bueschkens Young Chef Challenge. How did you prepare for the event?
Thank you very much, it feels super good. I prepared myself for the competition by training for almost six months back-and-forth as soon as I got the products I knew that I needed to use.
What dish did you create for the challenge?
I was required to create three dishes for the competition. The dessert dish I created was a tea-infused sour cream sorbet with hibiscus meringue, crispy chocolate and chocolate crémeux.
How was your experience in Greece and what was your biggest ‘take away’ moment from the event?
Greece was just perfect, the weather was super and the whole event was really great. My biggest take away moment was when I made my chocolate crémeux, by mistake I added salt instead of sugar, but luckily I made a new one that was even better then the original recipe.
You have worked with Nordic cuisine at some of the best Michelin-starred restaurants (Noma, Maaemo, Frantzén). Which aspects of that particular cuisine style inspire you the most?
I think for me the most inspiring has been Frantzén, because of its traditional French cuisine with influences of Nordic and Japanese cuisine.
You’re currently working at Restaurant Frantzén as Chef de Partie. How have you grown as a chef since working under Chef Frantzén?
I have grown a lot at Frantzén both as a person and as a chef. We are a small and very tight team that works really well together; we always push each other to make a better product.
Frantzén has held several overseas pop-ups in the past few months in Macau and Hong Kong – what have those experiences been like for you as a young chef?
Right now I’m in Macau, working the pop-up here for Frantzén and for my colleagues and we find it very different. Working with Chinese people who are not used to our way of doing things gets a little bit tricky, but it’s still a great learning experience. Our food here in Asia is very popular and people really enjoy our product.
You’ve been involved with the Swedish Junior Culinary Team since 2011. How has the team grown over the years?
The team has grown a lot, thanks in part to all the talented chefs who have come through over the years. Having direction from one of the best coaches in the world, Peter Jelksäter, has helped shaped the team’s development.
Any exciting new projects, events or travel plans for the coming year?
I’m going to Cape Town to cook in December, then next year I’m heading to Paris for an internship before the re-opening of the new Frantzén restaurant in May.
