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This summer, grilled food smelled on Karin Larsson’s street in Lilla Sköndal in southern Stockholm. Neighbors from the immediate area flocked to visit the home’s restaurant Nice Valley, Sköndal’s English translation. Pennants blew through the air and music came from the speakers. On the grill was Martin Johansson, who has worked as a chef for more than 20 years.
Just a few months earlier, he had lost assignments both large and small at his catering business. Despite this, Martin Johansson refused to throw in the towel. Instead of registering with the Swedish Public Employment Service, he opened a restaurant outside his home.
– I have received an unexpectedly good response. It seems that many in the immediate area have appreciated having a local place to meet, says Martin Johansson.
Birgitta Carlsson was one of the guests when DN visited Nice Valley in Sköndal.
Photo: Lisa Mattisson
The lunch hook quickly became popular and also attracted the attention of various media. Now small business owner Martin Johansson is taking the next step in his career. On September 16 he opens the doors of his own restaurant.
The restaurant is located in Kristinahuset, which of course is in Sköndal. The mansion was built in the late 17th century and has not unexpectedly received its name from Queen Kristina. Martin Johansson has always had his eyes on the building. Already last year he got in touch with the foundation that owns Kristinahuset.
– So I really couldn’t convince them completely. After I started Nice Valley, we started arguing again. I also invited some of the foundation to eat with us. It feels like a headwind from the fact that I dared to invest during the crown crisis, he says.
Martin Johansson will then invest in locally grown food. In the garden there is a greenhouse where, among other things, tomatoes are grown. Inside, art and a variety of flowers will leave their mark on the environment.
Today, Sköndalsbon looks back in the valley of Nice with heat. Before Martin Johansson opened the home restaurant, he wasn’t sure what the future would look like.
– I didn’t have a particular goal and I worked on several projects. Sometimes I felt a little lost, but now I have found the track that I will continue to ride. Kristinahuset is an extension of that, he says.
The challenge for Martin Johansson was to separate private life from professional life when everything would take place in one place.
Photo: Lisa Mattisson
The challenge with Nice Valley was separating privacy from professional life. Food was prepared in the family kitchen and neighbors flocked out the window. Although Martin Johansson was never allowed to take over Kristinahuset, he finds it hard to believe that Nice Valley would have survived.
– In the end, it felt as if the situation was destroying the family. In hindsight, I’ve wondered if one could have rented a kitchen instead, she admits.
Yet he’s grateful for the time which has been. Among other things, he learned that there is a demand for a local and personal hook. The ambition is to continue offering a meeting place for hungry neighbors.
– Local restaurants can certainly get a boost these days. People care about the local and do not have the same need to get downtown. Many stay in their own area and can open their eyes to what is there, says Martin Johansson.
Read more about small business owners:
The chef lost all the customers: he opened a restaurant in the house
Small Business: “A funeral is almost like a live broadcast”
The party animal refuses to go bankrupt: after the summer, the Swede will need a good party
