Nilas Corneliussen doesnât need much sleep. In fact, the 32-year-old finds it unsettling when a city turns quiet at night.
âIâm both a night and morning person,â says the Swedish-born executive head chef of Nordic-Asian fusion restaurant Villa Frantzen, one of only two Nordic restaurants in Thailandâs capital.
âI much prefer to be in a dynamic city that never sleeps, and Bangkok gives me that.â
But while Thailand had long appealed to him, even in his youth, Corneliussen says he never imagined a career in cooking.
Instead, he was drawn to Muay Thai, or Thai boxing, the striking art known for beautiful sequences of powerful punches, axe-like knees and elbows followed by lightning-fast kicks.
It was that instant confirmation of being better than his opponent that absorbed him; that immediate result based on ability and skill. On high school breaks, he even travelled solo to Thailand to join Muay Thai training camps.
âDuring those trips, I fell in love with the country,â Corneliussen tells CNN Travel.
But that frisson of excitement â it wasnât to be. After sustaining a hand injury while boxing, he was forced to move on from Muay Thai. However, he didnât stop thinking about Thailand.
Out of the ring and into the classroom
The very day after graduating from high school in Sweden, Corneliussen booked a one-way ticket to Bangkok and applied for a study visa.
âThatâs how I ended up studying economics, because I needed a way to get a visa to be able to stay,â he grins mischievously.
It wasnât until halfway through his studies, from 2010-2014, that he was inspired by a fellow student and friend who âran local Thai eateries, nothing fancy.â
Still, there was something inside of him that was drawn to the experience.
âThe atmosphere inside the kitchen fascinated me â everyone has to come together to make it happen,â Corneliussen recalls.
At the time, the chef didnât think he could pursue his new passion for cooking in Thailand. Instead, he thought it would be best to go back to his roots and understand the flavours heâd grown up with before cooking anything else, so he finished his studies and moved back to Europe.
Itâs a view he doesnât agree with today.
âNo cooking style is more important than another,â says Corneliussen.
âThe broad spectrum you gain from exploring cuisines from all over the world is what lends every chef a unique skill set and better fundament for creation. Thatâs why, after working in different kitchens, I became interested in Asian cuisines.â
Starting out in a Stockholm trattoria, he honed his skills and earned a place in Michelin-starred restaurant Noma in Copenhagen â voted worldâs best restaurant for several years. In 2019, he won the silver in the Bocuse dâOr, the worldâs most prestigious international cooking competition, as part of the Swedish team.
Despite those successes, he knew he wanted to return to Asia to pursue his passion for culinary arts.
In 2022, Corneliussen made the move to the Villa Frantzen, which opened that same year, where he showcases casual Nordic food with Asian influences in a series of set menus.
âIn Thailand, I get this feeling of belonging and connection to the people, food and culture,â he says, recalling his first days as an expat in the Thai Kingdom.
âIt was just amazing. It was like living in paradise every day. I hate cold weather!â
Villa Frantzen: Nordic cuisine with Asian influences
Part of the Frantzen Group, a restaurant empire owned by famed chef and former footballer Björn Frantzen, is located in Bangkokâs Sathorn Road area.
The oak-scented Nordic-style villa, with its open kitchen, is surrounded by the gardenâs bubbling mini-waterfalls and snuggled against a giant Jamjuree tree, evoking a sense of warmth and nostalgia. It also sparks Corneliussenâs creativity.
Engaging in a labour of love, the former Thai boxer cooks dishes thick in consistency, like the amber, richly flavourful beef consommé and creamy foie gras wontons, which taste like venison-flavoured butter with hints of liver.
And while people have slurped oysters directly out of their shells before, the Nordic-Asian version, spiced up with a pumpkin condiment, might be alien to their tongues. Whatâs special about this juicy oyster with smoked cream and nutty sea buckthorn oil is that itâs cooked at 63.4 degrees Celsius for an hour.
âIf I find something that I like, I can spend days on that,â says Corneliussen of his creative process.
âAnd I can go a long time with few hours of sleep a night. I donât know what it is. I go to bed late, wake up, and feel fresh.â
Even when heâs off work, he doesnât spend time in bed; he goes out exploring Bangkok.
âIâm an introverted extrovert; very outgoing and social with people I know and like,â says the chef.
âIn larger groups, I refrain from stealing the spotlight. But in the kitchen, I have to be more commanding.â
As for the future of Bangkokâs restaurant scene?
âItâll be booming even more,â says Corneliussen when asked what to expect in the next five years.
âThereâs a lot of big names coming in, and young chefs are opening their eateries ⌠I think you have to be sharp and relevant, and that pushes restaurants.â
Itâs now been more than a decade since Corneliussen first set his sights on Bangkok, and he acknowledges that his career path was unusual â and anything but easy.
âTaking the leap from studying economics to entering the kitchen was risky and demanding,â he says.
âInstead of a joyful youth, the last 10 years have been filled with hard work and dedication to hone my culinary skills.â
But it certainly panned out â particularly given his feelings for cold weather.
âItâs a blessing to have summer every day,â he laughs.