Nilas Corneliussen doesn’t need much sleep. In fact, the 32-year-old finds it unsettling when a city turns quiet at night.
Nilas Corneliussen 不需要太多睡眠。事實上，這位 32 歲的年輕人發現，當一個城市在晚上變得安靜時，它會感到不安。
“I’m both a night and morning person,” says the Swedish-born executive head chef of Nordic-Asian fusion restaurant Villa Frantzen, one of only two Nordic restaurants in Thailand’s capital.
“我既是夜居者又是早起之人，”這位出生於瑞典的北歐-亞洲融合餐廳Villa Frantzen的行政總廚說，該餐廳是泰國首都僅有的兩家北歐餐廳之一。
“I much prefer to be in a dynamic city that never sleeps, and Bangkok gives me that.”
“我更喜歡在一個充滿活力、不夜城的城市，而曼谷給了我這樣的機會。”
But while Thailand had long appealed to him, even in his youth, Corneliussen says he never imagined a career in cooking.
但是，儘管泰國長期以來一直吸引著他，甚至在他年輕的時候，科尼利厄森說他從未想過要從事烹飪工作。
Instead, he was drawn to Muay Thai, or Thai boxing, the striking art known for beautiful sequences of powerful punches, ax-like knees and elbows followed by lightning-fast kicks.
相反，他被泰拳或泰拳所吸引，這是一種以強大的拳擊、斧頭般的膝蓋和肘部以及閃電般的踢腿而聞名的擊打藝術。
It was that instant confirmation of being better than his opponent that absorbed him; that immediate result based on ability and skill. On high school breaks, he even traveled solo to Thailand to join Muay Thai training camps.
正是這種比對手更好的瞬間確認吸引了他;基於能力和技能的直接結果。在高中放假時，他甚至獨自前往泰國參加泰拳訓練營。
“During those trips, I fell in love with the country,” Corneliussen tells CNN Travel.
“在那些旅行中，我愛上了這個國家，”科尼利厄森告訴CNN Travel。
But that frisson of excitement – it wasn’t to be. After sustaining a hand injury while boxing, he was forced to move on from Muay Thai. However he didn’t stop thinking about Thailand.
但那種興奮的顫抖——它不是應該的。在拳擊時手部受傷后，他被迫離開泰拳。然而，他並沒有停止對泰國的思考。
Out of the ring and into the classroom
走出擂臺，走進教室
The very day after graduating from high school in Sweden, Corneliussen booked a one-way ticket to Bangkok and applied for a study visa.
在瑞典高中畢業的第二天，科尼利烏森就訂了一張去曼谷的單程機票，並申請了學習簽證。
“That’s how I ended up studying economics, because I needed a way to get a visa to be able to stay,” he grins mischievously.
“這就是我最終學習經濟學的原因，因為我需要一種方法來獲得簽證才能留下來，”他調皮地笑了笑。
It wasn’t until halfway through his studies, from 2010-2014, that he was inspired by a fellow student and friend who “ran local Thai eateries, nothing fancy.”
直到2010-2014年，他學習到一半時，才受到一位同學和朋友的啟發，這位同學和朋友“經營著當地的泰國餐館，沒什麼花哨的”。
Still, there was something inside of him that was drawn to the experience.
儘管如此，他內心深處還是有一些東西被這段經歷所吸引。
“The atmosphere inside the kitchen fascinated me – everyone has to come together to make it happen,” Corneliussen recalls.
“廚房裡的氣氛讓我著迷——每個人都必須齊心協力才能實現它，”Corneliussen 回憶道。
At the time, the chef didn’t think he could pursue his new passion for cooking in Thailand. Instead, he thought it would be best to go back to his roots and understand the flavors he’d grown up with before cooking anything else, so he finished his studies and moved back to Europe.
當時，這位廚師認為他無法在泰國追求他對烹飪的新熱情。相反，他認為最好在烹飪其他東西之前回到他的根源並瞭解他長大的味道，所以他完成了學業並搬回了歐洲。
It’s a view he doesn’t agree with today.
這是他今天不同意的觀點。
“No cooking style is more important than another,” says Corneliussen.
“沒有一種烹飪方式比另一種烹飪方式更重要，”Corneliussen說。
“The broad spectrum you gain from exploring cuisines from all over the world is what lends every chef a unique skill set and better fundament for creation. That’s why, after working in different kitchens, I became interested in Asian cuisines.”
“從探索來自世界各地的美食中獲得的廣泛範圍，為每位廚師提供了獨特的技能和更好的創作基礎。這就是為什麼在不同的廚房工作后，我對亞洲美食產生了興趣。
Starting out in a Stockholm trattoria, he honed his skills and earned a place in Michelin-starred restaurant Noma in Copenhagen – voted world’s best restaurant for several years. In 2019, he won the silver in the Bocuse d’Or, the world’s most prestigious international cooking competition, as part of the Swedish team.
他從斯德哥爾摩的一家飲食店開始，磨練了自己的技能，並在哥本哈根的米其林星級餐廳 Noma 贏得了一席之地，該餐廳連續幾年被評為世界最佳餐廳。2019年，他作為瑞典隊的一員，在世界上最負盛名的國際烹飪比賽博古斯金獎中獲得銀牌。
Despite those successes, he knew he wanted to return to Asia to pursue his passion for culinary arts.
儘管取得了這些成功，他知道自己想回到亞洲追求他對烹飪藝術的熱情。
In 2022, Corneliussen made the move to the Villa Frantzen, which opened that same year, where he showcases casual Nordic food with Asian influences in a series of set menus.
2022 年，Corneliussen 搬到了同年開業的 Villa Frantzen，在那裡他通過一系列套餐展示了具有亞洲風味的休閒北歐美食。
“In Thailand, I get this feeling of belonging and connection to the people, food and culture,” he says, recalling his first days as an expat in the Thai Kingdom.
“在泰國，我有一種歸屬感，與這裡的人民、食物和文化有聯繫，”他回憶起自己在泰國王國的第一天。
“It was just amazing. It was like living in paradise every day. I hate cold weather!”
“簡直太棒了。就像每天生活在天堂裡一樣。我討厭寒冷的天氣！
Villa Frantzen: Nordic cuisine with Asian influences
弗蘭岑別墅：具有亞洲風味的北歐美食
Part of the Frantzen Group, a restaurant empire owned by famed chef and former footballer Björn Frantzen, Villa Frantzen is located in Bangkok’s Sathorn Road area.
弗蘭岑別墅（Villa Frantzen）是弗蘭岑集團（Frantzen Group）的一部分，該集團是著名廚師和前足球運動員比約恩·弗蘭岑（Björn Frantzen）擁有的餐飲帝國，位於曼谷的沙吞路（Sathorn Road）地區。
The oak-scented Nordic-style villa, with its open kitchen, is surrounded by the garden’s bubbling mini-waterfalls and snuggled against a giant Jamjuree tree, evoking a sense of warmth and nostalgia. It also sparks Corneliussen’s creativity.
橡木香味的北歐風格別墅設有開放式廚房，周圍環繞著花園冒泡的迷你瀑布，依偎在一棵巨大的火腿竹樹上，喚起了一種溫暖和懷舊的感覺。這也激發了Corneliussen的創造力。
Engaging in a labor of love, the former Thai boxer cooks dishes thick in consistency, like the amber, richly flavorful beef consommé and creamy foie gras wontons, which taste like venison-flavored butter with hints of liver.
這位前泰國拳擊手從事熱愛的工作，烹製的菜餚稠密，如琥珀色、味道濃郁的牛肉清湯和奶油鵝肝餛飩，嘗起來像鹿肉味的黃油，帶有一絲肝臟的味道。
And while people have slurped oysters directly out of their shells before, the Nordic-Asian version, spiced up with a pumpkin condiment, might be alien to their tongues. What’s special about this juicy oyster with smoked cream and nutty sea buckthorn oil is that it’s cooked at 63.4 degrees Celsius for an hour.
雖然人們以前曾直接從殼中啜飲牡蠣，但用南瓜調味品調味的北歐-亞洲版本可能對他們的舌頭來說是陌生的。這款多汁的牡蠣配煙熏奶油和堅果沙棘油的特別之處在於它在 63.4 攝氏度下煮一個小時。
“If I find something that I like, I can spend days on that,” says Corneliussen of his creative process.
“如果我找到我喜歡的東西，我可以花幾天時間在上面，”Corneliussen談到他的創作過程時說。
“And I can go a long time with few hours of sleep a night. I don’t know what it is. I go to bed late, wake up, and feel fresh.”
“而且我可以睡很長時間，每晚睡幾個小時。我不知道那是什麼。我睡得很晚，醒來，感覺很清爽。
Even when he’s off work, he doesn’t spend time in bed; he goes out exploring Bangkok.
即使他下班了，他也不會花時間在床上;他出去探索曼谷。
“I’m an introverted extrovert; very outgoing and social with people I know and like,” says the chef.
“我是一個內向外向的人;非常外向，與我認識和喜歡的人交往，「廚師說」。
“In larger groups, I refrain from stealing the spotlight. But in the kitchen, I have to be more commanding.”
“在較大的群體中，我不會搶走聚光燈。但在廚房裡，我必須更加發號施令。
As for the future of Bangkok’s restaurant scene?
至於曼谷餐飲業的未來？
“It’ll be booming even more,” says Corneliussen when asked what to expect in the next five years.
“它會更加繁榮，”當被問及未來五年的預期時，Corneliussen說。
“There’s a lot of big names coming in, and young chefs are opening their eateries … I think you have to be sharp and relevant, and that pushes restaurants.”
“有很多大牌進來，年輕的廚師正在開餐館......我認為你必須敏銳而有針對性，這推動了餐廳的發展。
It’s now been more than a decade since Corneliussen first set his sights on Bangkok, and he acknowledges that his career path was unusual – and anything but easy.
自從Corneliussen第一次將目光投向曼谷以來，已經過去了十多年，他承認自己的職業道路是不尋常的，而且絕非一帆風順。
“Taking the leap from studying economics to entering the kitchen was risky and demanding,” he says.
“從學習經濟學到進入廚房的飛躍是有風險的，也是要求很高的，”他說。
“Instead of a joyful youth, the last 10 years have been filled with hard work and dedication to hone my culinary skills.”
“過去的10年不是快樂的青春，而是充滿了努力工作和奉獻精神，以磨練我的烹飪技巧。”
But it certainly panned out – particularly given his feelings for cold weather.
但它確實成功了——特別是考慮到他對寒冷天氣的感受。
“It’s a blessing to have summer every day,” he laughs.
“每天都有夏天真是太幸福了，”他笑著說。
Villa Frantzén – Restaurant & Bar, 7 Soi Yen Akat 3, Chong Nonsi, Bangkok; +66 (0)87 344 8222.
Villa Frantzén – 餐廳和酒吧， 7 Soi Yen Akat 3， Chong Nonsi， Bangkok;+66 (0)87 344 8222.
美國有線電視新聞網（CNN）