Advertisement

How I opened my own restaurant in Malmö

Oliver Gee
Oliver Gee - [email protected]
How I opened my own restaurant in Malmö

British chef Jonny Luck has just opened a restaurant in Malmö and it will soon become the setting for a new TV series. The Local chats careers, food, and his new multi-cultural home.

Advertisement

Jonny Luck is from Wales and moved to southern Sweden seven years ago and blames social media for his new life in Scandinavia.
 
"Facebook has a lot to answer for," he tells The Local. 
 
Luck's now-wife found the Welshman on the social-networking site after they'd dated ten years previously in London. 
 
"She sent a message that said 'Remember me?'," he explains. "I came over to visit and three months later I moved here."
 
Fast forward to 2014 and Luck is living the Scandinavian dream. In late August he opened Fabriken, a European restaurant offering everything from mussels and fries to oven-baked pizza. Business is booming.
 
The secret, he says, is making good food more readily available by lowering the prices.
 
"In Sweden, there tends to be conception that if you're not having a pizza or a kebab then dinner is going to be expensive," he says. 
 
 
"So we've made a menu for people who appreciate good food but don't necessarily have a big wallet. We want people to walk out thinking: Bloody hell, that was really cheap."
 
The Welshman used to be the head chef at the venue and since taking over he has also changed the events it offers, introducing everything from family nights to Bluegrass-themed socials.
 
"Our philosophy is that we don't want to exclude anyone. Families are welcome and people on a budget can still eat in style."
 
He added that he was baffled that some of the other restaurants in Malmö charge so much for their meals. 
 
"I've worked with some of the best chefs in the world, and any of us can create expensive food. But I want to make it cheap and accessible. I want to change the concept of food in Malmö. I grew up in London so for me multi-culturalism is about food, flavours and interesting combinations. There's nothing wrong with Swedish meatballs but adding spices can create a whole new dish."
 
 
For others in Sweden trying to follow their passions, Luck's advice is straight forward.
 
"It's a cliche, but if you want it - just do it. It's 50 percent luck and 50 percent sheer bloody will."
 
For this Welshman it seems like his luck keeps growing. The chef is working on a TV show that will soon be filmed in the restaurant, although he remains tight-lipped about the details.
 
"Things are heading in the right direction but my lips are sealed. Stay tuned for some good news though," he adds.
 
After that, he plans to open more restaurants with the same name around southern Sweden, and maybe the odd fish and chips outlet.
 
"Let's face it, fish and chips is the best food on the planet," he says with a chuckle. 
 
 
Have you launched a new career or started your own business since moving to Sweden?
 
Email us at [email protected] or tweet us @TheLocalSweden

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also