Danish food entrepreneur Claus Meyer announced acclaimed Icelandic chef Gunnar Gíslason as the head chef at Meyer’s first U.S. restaurant. The restaurant will be adjacent to a 5,000-square foot food hall located at Grand Central Terminal in New York City, which Meyer is set to open early 2016. Gíslason is best known for his critically lauded restaurant, Dill, in Reykjavík.
”Gíslason’s curious nature, together with his love for reviving traditions, using old techniques and his eye for finding pristine products, fits perfectly with the vision of this restaurant. To create a pure and wholesome kitchen with a modern Nordic flavor palate based on produce predominantly sourced in our close surroundings. We want to come up with something brand new, rooted in our history, that makes sense here and that makes sense to us,” Meyer says.
”I look forward to exploring new culinary territory and challenging myself,” Gíslason adds. “The principles of the New Nordic Cuisine philosophy can be applied anywhere, as it is all about discovering the nature at hand.”
Meyer and Gíslason will work with the New York region’s distinctive and best available produce, collaborating closely with artisan farmers and suppliers. They will, however, bring with them a limited array of indigenous ingredients. Also, they may supply the restaurant with a narrow range of seasonal signature produce from the Nordic countries. The restaurant will apply ancient techniques, common to Scandinavia, such as salting, fermenting, pickling, and smoking across its menu.
Joining Gíslason will be a team including sous chef Joseph Yardley, who most recently worked as chef de cuisine for Mads Refslund at Acme restaurant in New York City; beverage manager Jonas Andersen, former manager at Meyer’s social restaurant initiative, Gustu in Bolivia; head baker Rhonda Crosson, who has worked as a baker for Thomas Keller and held leading positions with Marcus Samuelsson and Daniel Boulud; baker and head of education Thomas Steinmann, formerly of Meyers Bageri and Meyers Madhus in Denmark; and head coffee roaster Omar Maagaard, most recently of the Coffee Collective, Estate Coffee & Copenhagen Roasters.
