He booked a one-way ticket to Thailand the day after he graduated from high school. He is now one of the best chefs in Bangkok

Nilas Corneliussen doesn’t need a lot of sleep. In fact, the 32-year-old finds it disturbing when a city becomes quiet at night.

“I’m both a night person and a morning person,” says the Swedish-born executive chef of Nordic-Asian fusion restaurant Villa Frantzen, one of only two Nordic restaurants in the Thai capital.

“I would much rather be in a vibrant city that never sleeps, and Bangkok offers that.”

But while Thailand has long attracted him, even in his youth, Corneliussen says he never imagined a career in cooking.

Instead, he was drawn to Muay Thai, or Thai boxing, the striking art known for its beautiful sequences of powerful punches, axe-like knees and elbows followed by ultra-low kicks. fast.

It was this instant confirmation of being better than his opponent that absorbed him; this immediate result based on ability and competence. During his high school vacations, he even traveled to Thailand alone to join Muay Thai training camps.

“During these trips, I fell in love with the country,” Corneliussen told CNN Travel.

But that thrill of excitement – ​​that wasn’t the case. After injuring his hand while boxing, he was forced to quit Muay Thai. But he didn’t stop thinking about Thailand.

Out of the ring and into the classroom

The very day after finishing high school in Sweden, Corneliussen booked a one-way ticket to Bangkok and applied for a study visa.

“That’s how I ended up studying economics, because I needed a way to get a visa to be able to stay,” he smiles mischievously.

It wasn’t until halfway through his studies, from 2010 to 2014, that he was inspired by a fellow student and friend who “ran local Thai restaurants, nothing fancy.”

Yet there was something in him that was drawn to this experience.

“The atmosphere inside the kitchen fascinated me: everyone has to come together to make this happen,” Corneliussen recalls.

At the time, the chef didn’t think he could pursue his newfound passion for cooking in Thailand. Instead, he thought it would be better to return to his roots and understand the flavors he grew up with before cooking anything else. So he finished his studies and returned to Europe.

This is a view he does not agree with today.

“No cooking style is more important than another,” says Corneliussen.

“The broad spectrum you get from exploring cuisines around the world is what gives each chef a unique skill set and better foundation for creation. This is why, after working in different kitchens, I became interested in Asian cuisines.

Starting out in a trattoria in Stockholm, he honed his skills and landed a place at the Michelin-starred restaurant Noma in Copenhagen, voted the best restaurant in the world for several years. In 2019, he won the silver medal at the Bocuse d’Or, the world’s most prestigious international cooking competition, as part of the Swedish team.

Despite these successes, he knew he wanted to return to Asia to pursue his passion for the culinary arts.

In 2022, Corneliussen moved to Villa Frantzen, opened the same year, where he presents casual Nordic cuisine with Asian influences in a series of menus.

“In Thailand, I feel this sense of belonging and connection with the people, the food and the culture,” he says, recalling his first days living abroad in the Thai kingdom.

“It was just incredible. It was like living in paradise every day. I hate cold!”

Villa Frantzen: Nordic cuisine with Asian influences

Part of the Frantzen Group, a restaurant empire owned by famous chef and former footballer Björn Frantzen, Villa Frantzen is located in the Sathorn Road area of ​​Bangkok.

The oak-scented Nordic-style villa, with its open kitchen, is surrounded by the garden’s bubbling mini-waterfalls and nestled against a giant Jamjuree tree, evoking a feeling of warmth and nostalgia. This also stimulates Corneliussen’s creativity.

Engaging in a labor of love, the former Thai boxer cooks dishes with a thick consistency, like amber-colored, flavor-rich beef parfait and creamy foie gras wontons, which taste like venison butter with notes of liver.

And while people have sipped oysters straight out of their shell before, the Nordic-Asian version, spiced with a pumpkin condiment, might be foreign to their language. The special thing about this juicy oyster with smoked cream and hazelnut sea buckthorn oil is that it is cooked at 63.4 degrees Celsius for one hour.

“If I find something I like, I can dedicate entire days to it,” Corneliussen says of his creative process.

“And I can last a long time with a few hours of sleep a night. I do not know what it is. I go to bed late, wake up and feel fresh.

Even when he’s not at work, he doesn’t spend time in bed; he leaves to explore Bangkok.

“I’m an introverted extrovert; very sociable and sociable with people I know and like,” explains the chef.

“In large groups, I refrain from stealing the spotlight. But in the kitchen, I have to be more authoritarian.

As for the future of Bangkok’s food scene?

“The growth is going to get even stronger,” says Corneliussen when asked what to expect in the next five years.

“There are a lot of big names coming in, and young chefs opening their restaurants…I think you have to be sharp and relevant, and that pushes restaurants.”

It’s now been more than a decade since Corneliussen first set his sights on Bangkok, and he admits his career path was unusual – and anything but easy.

“Moving from studying economics to cooking was risky and demanding,” he says.

“Instead of joyful youth, the last 10 years have been filled with hard work and dedication to perfect my culinary skills.”

But it certainly worked – especially considering his feelings about the cold.

“It’s a blessing to have summer every day,” he laughs.

Villa Frantzén – Restaurant & Bar, 7 Soi Yen Akat 3, Chong Nonsi, Bangkok; +66 (0)87 344 8222.

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