Chef
Emma Bengtsson
- Discipline
- Chef
- Based in
- New York City, New York, United States
- Venue
- Aquavit · Restaurant
i. Biography
Emma Bengtsson has been executive chef of Aquavit in New York City since 2014, and the role is defined by the control she brings to one of the city’s most closely watched dining rooms. That same year, Aquavit earned a second Michelin star in the 2015 guide, a recognition that sits alongside her command of Scandinavian cuisine and the way pastry discipline carries through her savory work. At Aquavit, her food is built on restraint, structure, and precision rather than display.
Coming Up
Training at International Restaurant School in Stockholm gave Emma Bengtsson the formal base that preceded her first professional kitchens. She began as an intern at Edsbacka Krog in Sweden, then moved into pastry work, a route that shaped the exactness of her cooking from the start. The early progression matters here: it places pastry at the center of the technique she later brought into a broader kitchen role. Pastry positions at Edsbacka Krog in Sweden, Operakällaren in Stockholm, Sweden, and Aquavit in New York City, New York, USA, where she worked from 2010–2014, trace a career built on repetition, accuracy, and refinement. Each kitchen added to the technical discipline behind her style. By the time she reached Aquavit in New York, that pastry background had already become the framework for the rest of her work. Since 2014, Emma Bengtsson has led Aquavit as executive chef, bringing pastry-trained precision to the full menu. The significance of that move lies in continuity rather than reinvention: the same rigor that defined her earlier posts still governs her approach. At Aquavit, that continuity is visible in the way structure and finish remain central across the kitchen.
Where They Are Now
Since 2014, Bengtsson has been executive chef at Aquavit in New York City, where her work centers on Scandinavian cuisine and pastry-to-savory cooking. The line from Swedish training to a New York dining room is clear in the food’s discipline and balance. Her kitchen language stays measured, with attention to texture, finish, and the meeting point of sweetness, salt, and restraint. The move from pastry chef to executive chef remains the key shift in her career. It gives her work a distinct point of view: a chef formed in pastry who now directs savory cooking with the same emphasis on precision and structure. At Aquavit, that progression is not a break from the past but a broader application of the same method.
Signature
Emma's signature dishes include bird's nest dessert and Lamb and Morel. They show the range of her cooking: one leaning into intricate dessert work, the other into composed savory form, both built on the same controlled approach to flavor and structure.
Honors
Emma's honors include Two Michelin Stars (2015), Mentor Chef Award (2023), and Lady Chef (2018).
Profile updated August 2026
FAQ
Asked of Emma
What is Emma Bengtsson's current role?
Emma Bengtsson is Executive Chef.
Where did Emma Bengtsson train or study?
Emma Bengtsson trained at International Restaurant School in Stockholm.
What recognition has Emma Bengtsson received?
Two Michelin Stars (2015).
