The chef who left the hustle and bustle of city life to move to the peaceful Swedish countryside for the well-being of his family. Nicolai Tram opened "Knystaforsen" a few years ago, and in testament to his respect for the surrounding nature, has already earned a MICHELIN star and a Green One
After working in renowned restaurants in Spain, Nicolai Tram managed his own restaurant, “Jacobsen,” in Copenhagen and worked for five years as a television chef on the show Go' Morgen Denmark. Tram describes that period from both a family and professional perspective as "like running on a hamster wheel, without any sense of independence and without the opportunity to spend more quality time together as a family."
So, in 2017, Nicolai and his wife Eva sold everything and moved with their two children to Rydöbruk in Halland County, Sweden, where Nicolai launched the catering service "Knystaforsen." The project was based in a former 1871 sawmill in the woods surrounding the town, which sourced some of the ingredients fundamental to Tram's cooking. All local raw materials were either obtained from county producers or foraged, to be later cooked over fire, which Nicolai sees as the connecting element between humans, nature, and food.
The next step, given the success of the catering, was to convert the enchanting family home in the woods, near the Nissan River, into a guest house and open a restaurant: "Knystaforsen." This time, the chef's operational base, created by recycling local materials during the renovation, is situated on the riverbank opposite the villa. The philosophy remains the same: fire as the focal point of the gastronomic experience born from the collaboration between man and nature, connection with the surrounding ecosystem, and with local producers. In 2022, the restaurant was indeed awarded a MICHELIN star and a MICHELIN Green star. Nicolai also runs a pizzeria, named after the restaurant, in town, complete with a wood-fired oven.
Cover Photo: @Knystaforsen
