Michelin star for Mikael Jonsson

Restaurant Hedone in London receives Michelin star after only a little over a year in business. 

  • Mikael Jönsson, the Swedish chef of Hedone in London, received a Michelin star after having been in business just over a year. Jönsson is a self-taught chef, who left a career as a lawyer in order to start his business.
  • Michelin star after one year
    It leaked by mistake, the fact that Swedish chef Mikael Jönsson’s restaurant Hedone in London will be given one Michelin star after having been in business for only little over a year (the restaurant opened on July 1st last year). Jönsson said to metro.se: “It’s amazing of course. According to Michelin nobody from another field has had a star so fast, so it’s incredible. I knew that what we were doing was good, but to get a star like that… I never thought it would happen.”

  • The Hedone restaurant in London’s Chiswick neighborhood. The Michelin Guide is a series of annual guide books published by Michelin. The Michelin Red Guide, the oldest and best-known European hotel and restaurant guide, which awards the Michelin stars. One star indicates a "very good cuisine in its category", a two-star ranking represents "excellent cuisine, worth a detour", and a rare three stars are awarded to restaurants offering "exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey". As of late 2009, there were 26 three-star restaurants in France, and a total of 81 in the world. Michelin reviewers are known to be anonymous and independent; they do not identify themselves, and their meals and expenses are paid for by the company founded by the Michelin brothers, never by a restaurant being reviewed.
  • The self-taught chef opened his restaurant in Chiswick London, and people close to him thought he had gone crazy when he left his career as a company lawyer to risk everything on this new venture. Now, a year later his establishment is full of regulars, and this in one of the world’s most competitive cities when it comes to the restaurant business. Jönsson says his day has been full as the news leaked:
    “I’ve been sitting with The Guardian, the Evening Standard, Times, and BBC and other media all day. Everyone’s excited over this unique piece of news. I’ve talked and talked and I’ve drunk champagne. I’m on my second bottle, I thought I’d better be completely drunk during service today.” When asked if he’d close the restaurant for the evening, Jönsson said: “Hell no, we’re open as usual.”
    For more info on Hedone: www.hedonerestaurant.com