Icelandic Chef Gunnar Gíslason To Head Claus Meyer's New Nordic Restaurant In New York City

Danish food entrepreneur Claus Meyer is proud to announce acclaimed Icelandic chef Gunnar Gíslason as the head chef at Meyer's first restaurant in the US. The restaurant will be adjacent to the 5,000-square-feet food hall located at Grand Central Terminal, which Meyer is set to open early 2016. Chef Gíslason is best known for his critically lauded restaurant, Dill, in Reykjavík.  

Meyer and Gíslason will work with the New York's regional, distinctive, and best available produce, collaborating closely with artisan farmers and suppliers. However, they will also bring with them a limited array of indigenous ingredients, as well as seasonal signature produce from the Nordic countries. The restaurant will apply ancient Scandinavian techniques such as salting, fermenting, pickling, and smoking across its menu.  

Meyer has great confidence in his head chef's abilities, stating in press release that "Gíslason's curious nature, together with his love for reviving traditions, using old techniques, and his eye for finding pristine products fits perfectly with the vision of this restaurant — to create a pure and wholesome kitchen with a modern Nordic flavor palate based on produce predominantly sourced in our close surroundings. We want to come up with something brand new, rooted in our history, that makes sense here and that makes sense to us."  

Gíslason will be joined by an experienced, multicultural team including sous chef Joseph Yardley, who most recently worked as chef de cuisine for Mads Refslund at ACME restaurant in New York City; beverage manager, Jonas Andersen, former manager at Meyer's social restaurant initiative, Gustu, in Bolivia; head baker Rhonda Crosson, who has worked for Thomas Keller and held leading positions with Marcus Samuelsson and Daniel Boulud; baker and head of education Thomas Steinmann, formerly of Meyers Bageri and Meyers Madhus in Denmark; and head coffee roaster Omar Maagaard, most recently of the Coffee Collective, Estate Coffee, Copenhagen Roasters.  

Both the restaurant and food hall are set to open early 2016 in Grand Central Terminal.