Nils Norén
Encyclopedia
Nils Norén, born circa 1967, is a chef
and culinary educator based out of New York City where he holds the position of Vice President of Culinary and Pastry Arts at The French Culinary Institute
. He also writes for the blog
Cooking Issues, and he is a Contributing Authority for Food Arts magazine. He is regarded as a leader among chefs who embrace the use of new culinary techniques and scientific thinking in the kitchen to enhance traditional cooking methods (though he eschews the use of the term "molecular gastronomy
").
, Sweden
. He grew up in Gävle
where he attended culinary school. Norén traces his love for food back to being drawn to reading cookbooks at the age of 10. "I remember tasting flour before making cookie dough and how it was fascinating that the cookies actually tasted delicious after other ingredients were added to the plain flour before baking." Raised in a large family, Norén was able to watch his mother cook his family "a lot of food, all the time."
Norén held positions in some of Sweden’s top restaurants before moving to New York City. He served as the coordinator of cooking classes at Restaurant Akademin in Stockholm, was Executive Chef at Restaurant Riche, and Chef de Cuisine at Restaurant KB.
In 1998, Norén was hired as Chef de Cuisine at Restaurant Aquavit
restaurant in New York City. From 2003-2006, he served as Executive Chef.
In a 2008 survey by Time Out magazine of 40 top New York chefs, Norén was voted "The chef that should have gotten an award by now, but hasn't."
In 2008 and 2009, Norén was invited to participate in the Glass House Conversations, an annual series of salons attended by artists, designers, and other creative thought leaders at the Philip Johnson Glass House in New Canaan, CT. For these occasions, Norén created tasting menus that played off the themes chosen for discussion (like "Breaking the Rules" and Attention Span). He has also been a presenter at Star Chef’s International Chefs Congress.
In 2009, Chef Norén competed on an episode of Bravo’s Top Chef Masters
, which aired July 15, with Rick Moonen
, Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson, and Michael Chiarello
(who was declared the winner).
Since May 2009, Norén has been, with Dave Arnold
, one of the authors behind the Cooking Issues blog, discussing developments in the Culinary Technology department of The French Culinary Institute.
Chef
A chef is a person who cooks professionally for other people. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who cooks for a living, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation.-Etymology:The word "chef" is borrowed ...
and culinary educator based out of New York City where he holds the position of Vice President of Culinary and Pastry Arts at The French Culinary Institute
French Culinary Institute
The French Culinary Institute , also known as The International Culinary Center has locations in SoHo, New York City and in the San Francisco Bay Area of California....
. He also writes for the blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
Cooking Issues, and he is a Contributing Authority for Food Arts magazine. He is regarded as a leader among chefs who embrace the use of new culinary techniques and scientific thinking in the kitchen to enhance traditional cooking methods (though he eschews the use of the term "molecular gastronomy
Molecular gastronomy
Molecular gastronomy is a subdiscipline of food science that seeks to investigate, explain and make practical use of the physical and chemical transformations of ingredients that occur while cooking, as well as the social, artistic and technical components of culinary and gastronomic phenomena in...
").
Culinary background
Norén was born in StockholmStockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. He grew up in Gävle
Gävle
Gävle is a city in Sweden, the seat of Gävle Municipality and the capital of Gävleborg County. It had 71,033 inhabitants in 12/31 2010. It is the oldest city in the historical Norrland , having received its charter in 1446 from Christopher of Bavaria.-History:It is believed that the name Gävle...
where he attended culinary school. Norén traces his love for food back to being drawn to reading cookbooks at the age of 10. "I remember tasting flour before making cookie dough and how it was fascinating that the cookies actually tasted delicious after other ingredients were added to the plain flour before baking." Raised in a large family, Norén was able to watch his mother cook his family "a lot of food, all the time."
Norén held positions in some of Sweden’s top restaurants before moving to New York City. He served as the coordinator of cooking classes at Restaurant Akademin in Stockholm, was Executive Chef at Restaurant Riche, and Chef de Cuisine at Restaurant KB.
In 1998, Norén was hired as Chef de Cuisine at Restaurant Aquavit
Restaurant Aquavit
-History:Aquavit was created and opened by Håkan Swahn in 1987. After 17 years in one location, Aquavit relocated in 2005 to new premises giving the restaurant an entirely new look....
restaurant in New York City. From 2003-2006, he served as Executive Chef.
Recent achievements
In 2006, he was hired to oversee the programs at The French Culinary Institute. His responsibilities include overseeing the day-to-day operations of The FCI's various programs and teaching classes in sous-vide and high-tech cooking.In a 2008 survey by Time Out magazine of 40 top New York chefs, Norén was voted "The chef that should have gotten an award by now, but hasn't."
In 2008 and 2009, Norén was invited to participate in the Glass House Conversations, an annual series of salons attended by artists, designers, and other creative thought leaders at the Philip Johnson Glass House in New Canaan, CT. For these occasions, Norén created tasting menus that played off the themes chosen for discussion (like "Breaking the Rules" and Attention Span). He has also been a presenter at Star Chef’s International Chefs Congress.
In 2009, Chef Norén competed on an episode of Bravo’s Top Chef Masters
Top Chef Masters
Top Chef Masters is an American reality competition show currently broadcast on the cable television network Bravo. It is a spinoff of Bravo's hit show Top Chef. In the series, 24 world-renowned chefs compete against each other in weekly challenges...
, which aired July 15, with Rick Moonen
Rick Moonen
Rick Moonen is a celebrated seafood chef and an early champion of sustainable fishing practices.Moonen graduated first in his class from the Culinary Institute of America and then went on to work at New York City’s La Côte Basque, Le Cirque and The Water Club where he commanded the kitchen for six...
, Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson, and Michael Chiarello
Michael Chiarello
Michael Chiarello is an American celebrity chef specializing in Italian-influenced California cuisine. He hosts the cooking show, Easy Entertaining with Michael Chiarello, on the Food Network and hosts NapaStyle on the Fine Living Network...
(who was declared the winner).
Since May 2009, Norén has been, with Dave Arnold
Dave Arnold
Dave Arnold is an American chef from New York City. He is a leader in molecular gastronomy.-Personal history:Arnold grew up in the New York area and began tinkering with restaurant equipment after earning his MFA from Columbia University School of the Arts...
, one of the authors behind the Cooking Issues blog, discussing developments in the Culinary Technology department of The French Culinary Institute.