An impatient teenager who found it hard to sit still! For Pontus it proved to be an excellent quality. He decided to invest in a practical profession and thought the restaurant business seemed like fun which it was. Not quite as he intended.

For the first two years he had to sit at a desk and learn subjects that were of no use at all. So he thought. The internship wasn’t good either as he ended up in a pub put to work peeling carrots, picking radishes and cleaning broad beans all day. “I’ll never forget that”, he says, “I’m still a master at cutting beans.”

Close to giving up Pontus finally found a restaurant where he was well taken care of and given useful, practical tasks. “So this is how it should be,” he thought. Nowadays, thankfully, the curriculum has been adapted with longer practicals and clear guidelines.

Pontus became an assiduous student. By chance ending up in a hotel restaurant and has stayed in that sector. Always fast-paced, versatile and compared to small restaurants, often good resources to develop the business Pontus reflected. There’s breakfast, lunch and dinner, conference, cocktails and gala dinners in a long, long line.

Pontus’ career developed as he worked in hotels of increasing size. The famous Grand Hotel in Stockholm is on his CV and he was headhunted by the Stockholm Sheraton to be Executive Chef. International guests are often loyal to their hotel chain. However, the Sheraton had not been talked about very much recently. Something had to be done!

In combination with one of the industry’s best CEOs, Elin Roquet, and Pontus as a modern, creative chef the Stockholm Sheraton will have a fresh start. Elin and Pontus make a really good team. The Sheraton’s ownership structure has changed significantly with individual hotels deciding their look, ambiance and identity. It is so important that international guests recognise the Sheraton brand wherever they are in the world. Pontus and his team have chosen Swedish dishes using local ingredients grown ecologically and collaborated with an urban farm where vegetables are grown strictly organically.

Pontus is particularly fond of “sea food”: fish and shellfish being his favourites following a stay in Spain. Walking around the market stalls he feels in heaven. At least in food heaven! Pontus together with his kitchen team decide how to create, present and serve their dishes. Menus are unique with creative combinations. In addition to seafood, a classic Biff Rydberg (cubed beef with potatoes and onion) is one of Pontus’ favourite dishes. He would also like to serve veal brisket, a classic delicacy that is now very scarce.

On the wine list, Pontus likes to have European wines being personally fond of Germany’s white wines. In response to a question about the New World, he admits it’s worth trying and where sommelier training comes in handy. His employees think that Pontus is fair, inclusive and non-hierarchical. Pontus says he realized that he cannot and should not do everything himself.

Competing puts on extra pressure and is good for the development of both staff and restaurant. Pontus wanted to set a good example and has entered the competition Chef of the Year two years in a row. Chef of the Year is Sweden’s biggest cooking competition where many of Chaîne’s young chefs make it to the finals. This year, one of Pontus’ chefs made it to the finals in the Jeunes Chefs Rôtisseurs Competition. More will follow with Pontus as an inspiration and support!

Dreaming is good. Pontus would like to relive his surfing days in Hawaii which is a bit far away. However, the world’s highest waves can be found at a small fishing village in Portugal, so maybe we’ll meet him there.

Catarina Offe
Conseiller Gastronomique

Translation into English by Margareta Henry, Chargée de Missions Honoraire

Sheraton Stockholm
Tegelbacken 6
101 23 Stockholm

Web: Sheraton Stockholm
Tel: +46 8 412 34 00