Chef Johan Svensson Q + A

What’s your regular comfort meal?

My regular comfort food is the Swedish hot dog topped with mashed potatoes, shrimp salad, and crispy onions.

You’re stranded on a desert island. What five foods would you take and what would you make?

I would bring cumin, seeds, truffle oil, 1 female pig, and 1 male pig with me to this island. After the pigs reproduce, I would prepare braised pork belly stuffed with lobster meat, which I would catch from the sea. This dish would be seasoned with salt created from boiling down the ocean water. I would utilize the cumin, seeds, and truffle oil to create a side dish to accompany my main entrée.

What would you request as your last meal?

My final meal would be sushi from Jewel Bako in New York City.

What is the most essential item in your kitchen?

The most essential item in my kitchen is my knife.

What do you cook at home that you never cook at your restaurant?

I prepare turkey tacos at home for my wife and daughter, which I would never cook at BLT Steak.

What do you consider to be your top creation?

My top creation thus far is an olive oil and Tahitian vanilla bean poached Halibut.