Michelin-starred Hedone has closed

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.