Michelin-starred Hedone has closed

The Staff Canteen

Mikael Jonsson’s Hedone restaurant, has closed. Mikael opened Hedone in 2011, having never worked in a professional kitchen before.

It's reported that the chef has decided to close due to the psychological and physical toll the business has had on he and his business partner wife, Aurelie Jean-Marie-Flore, in recent years.

He told Big Hospitality, “the last year or so has been disastrous financially...the margin has been OK. The problem is the number of covers. We’re not the only ones.”

The Swedish chef only began cooking professionally when he was 44 because of food allergies which meant he was unable to cook without cortisone injections.

Mikael originally wanted to be a chef and own his own restaurant, but allergies to almost every common food including shellfish and raw meat saw him having asthma attacks and eczema.

He then trained as a solicitor, which he worked as for many years while also writing a food blog, reviewing restaurants he visited while travelling.

Hedone was awarded a Michelin star in the 2012 guide, one of the quickest stars ever to be given.

In 2015 Mikael closed the restaurant for 10 days and reopened with a new version of his restaurant with no menu. Customers could choose two different tasting ‘menus’ though neither will be written down.

In these challenging times…

The Staff Canteen team are taking a different approach to keeping our website independent and delivering content free from commercial influence. Our Editorial team have a critical role to play in informing and supporting our audience in a balanced way. We would never put up a paywall  – The Staff Canteen is open to all and we want to keep bringing you the content you want; more from younger chefs, more on mental health, more tips and industry knowledge, more recipes and more videos. We need your support right now, more than ever, to keep The Staff Canteen active. Without your financial contributions this would not be possible.

Over the last 16 years, The Staff Canteen has built what has become the go-to platform for chefs and hospitality professionals. As members and visitors, your daily support has made The Staff Canteen what it is today. Our features and videos from the world’s biggest name chefs are something we are proud of. We have over 560,000 followers across Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube and other social channels, each connecting with chefs across the world. Our editorial and social media team are creating and delivering engaging content every day, to support you and the whole sector - we want to do more for you.

A single coffee is more than £2, a beer is £4.50 and a large glass of wine can be £6 or more.

Support The Staff Canteen from as little as £1 today. Thank you.

The Staff Canteen

The Staff Canteen

Editor 5th June 2019

Michelin-starred Hedone has closed