Chef Series: Fredrik Berselius of Aska
During my time at eponym, a creative eyewear development startup, I created, wrote, and produced the Dinner Party series for our client Steven Alan. From sourcing a group of chefs and food influencers – Fredrik Berselius of Aska, Maya Jankelowitz of Jack’s Wife Freda, and Peter Meehan of the late Lucky Peach magazine – to crafting Steven Alan’s interview with them about their life’s work, I had the exciting opportunity to get to know some of my favorite people in their home kitchens and restaurants.
This piece features Fredrik Berselius, a Swedish chef whose double Michelin-starred restaurant Aska challenges its diners to taste things they’ve never tasted before, from cured lamb heart to fried lichen.
I watched him painstakingly arrange a crown of hand-picked moss on a Swedish potato pancake with a pair of tweezers for thirty minutes. It was beautiful.
Writing & interview by Rachel Cantrell
Photography by Heather Sten
from the piece
“Known worldwide for innovative, Sweden-meets-Brooklyn, dishes that earned Aska two Michelin stars, Fredrik Berselius is a stoic and mild-mannered chef with a passion for pushing the limits. From foraged ingredients, picked in upstate New York, to live sea scallops, guests at Aska can expect to leave having tasted flavors they’ve never encountered before. We met Fredrik in his restaurant – mysterious and dimly lit, foraged plants placed throughout the room – to chat about his beginnings as a chef, his experience foraging ingredients, and how to make a Swedish potato pancake.”
