Born and raised (as the son of an American) in 1984 in Berlin, Björn grew up in one of the poorer areas of the city in a district called “Schöneberg” – a neighborhood which is strongly influenced by Turkish and Arabian people.
Food did not play a large role in Björn’s family, and so when he was a kid, it was not his dream to become a chef. Instead, he dreamt of serving in the army, seeking a career in the military. At the age of 17, he went to the States to volunteer for the Marine Corps. A year and a broken knee later, he was released with all honors and returned to Germany to pursue his education.
With a lot of luck, he he found his future in a restaurant kitchen. After staging in Michelin-starred kitchens such as those of Christian Lohse (2 stars), Michael Kempf (2 stars) and Marco Mueller (2 stars), his first position as head chef came in 2014 at the Relais & Chateaux Gutshaus Stolpe – a 5 star hideaway resort in Mecklenburg-Pommerian, close to the Baltic Sea and the Polish border.
After 3 very successful years, Björn received the opportunity to move back to Berlin. Here, in the rooms of the former 40seconds nightclub, he had the chance to create a very unique concept of his own. In 2017, he returned to Berlin to lead the project, creating the concept and implementing everything according to his ideas. The result is Golvet. A casual fine dining restaurant on almost 500 square meters with one of the best bars in town.
“Our goals are clearly defined and so we won’t have (only) one Michelin star for long.”
His pursuit of the culinary industry also led him to meet his wife, Christina, with whom he has 2 children.
- 1 Michelin Star at Golvet | The Michelin Guide 2017
- 16/20 points for Golvet | Gault&Millau
- 37 of the 50 best chefs of Germany
Describe your culinary philosophy in FOUR words:
Grounded, sustained, delicious & different.
What is your greatest inspiration?
My roots and the city of Berlin.
If you could take a plane ride to any restaurant in the world, just for one meal, where would you go?
Christopher Kostow / The Restaurant at Meadowood.
What FOUR items would you take to a desert island?
My daughter Lily, my son Noah, my wife Christina & of course a nanny 🙂
Potsdamer Straße 58
10785 Berlin
Telefon: +49 (30) 890 642-24
Mobile: +49 176 643 642 61
Fax: +49 (30) 890 642-11
E-Mail: swanson@40seconds.de
Web: www.golvet.de