Ricky Saward

The Path

Early in his career, Ricky Saward worked as chef de partie at Villa Merton in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, and later as sous chef at Seven Swans in Frankfurt am Main, Germany (2018–2019). Those years gave him direct working knowledge of the restaurant’s rhythm before he moved into the role himself. In 2019, he stepped into the role of head chef of Seven Swans, where he remains today.

The Work Today

Since 2019, Saward has been head chef at Seven Swans in Frankfurt on the Main, and the kitchen has been defined by a deliberately limited palette. The rule set is explicit: regionally, seasonally, and without any spices except salt and a little beet sugar. In that framework, vegan cuisine is not a broader statement but a working method. The discipline is what gives the food its shape. Rather than rely on embellishment, Saward works from the ingredients themselves, using restraint to keep the flavors legible and concentrated. The kitchen is built around balance and control, with vegetables carrying the plate and classic cues translated through a vegan lens. That approach also leaves room for technical trial. While working on vegan cheese for the Oscars, Saward experimented with yeast extract and found a result worth keeping in the kit. The detail points to a kitchen that tests ideas pragmatically, then folds them back into the same larger brief: depth without animal products.

In Their Words “Yes, that is actually a nice story. To create vegan cheese for the Oscars, I’ve experimented with yeast extract and was pretty impressed with how well it worked.” “Yeast extract is a helpful ingredient to create an umami or spicy flavor when cooking at home and not using animal products.”

Acclaim

Saward’s recognition rests on a single, legible specialty: vegan cuisine at Seven Swans. The work is noted for consistency rather than spectacle, with regional produce, seasonal timing, and tight control doing the heavy lifting. His own description of yeast extract makes the approach plain: “Yeast extract is a helpful ingredient to create an umami or spicy flavor when cooking at home and not using animal products.”