Elite Chef Demo: Emma Bengtsson

Swedish chef Emma Bengtsson began her culinary education at the International Restaurant School in Stockholm when she was 16-years-old. She staged in pastry at Edsbacka Krog, the country's only two-Michelin-starred restaurant at the time, where she remained for four years. Chef Emma continued in pastry at Operaka¨llaren in the Royal Swedish Opera for the following five years and moved to New York’s acclaimed Aquavit in 2010. The Scandinavian restaurant earned a Michelin star during her tenure as pastry chef and in 2014, Chef Emma became the executive chef, earning the restaurant a second Michelin star, which it's retained since. Chef Emma is recognized as the first Swedish woman to earn two Michelin stars and the second female chef to do so in the U.S., after Dominique Crenn. Aquavit has three stars from The New York Times, and Chef Emma was named Lady Chef 2018 at The Best Chef Awards in Milan. In 2016, she opened an outpost of Aquavit in London, and in 2019, Aquavit debuted a redesigned bar and dining room with a la carte menus in addition to the three-, five- and eight-course tastings. Chef Emma will demonstrate her interpretation of Scandinavian cuisine with a signature dish and the story of its development for aspiring chefs.