For me, the summer of 2026 was truly unforgettable, not only because I had my mom’s ashes scattered at sea, but also because of all the lovely people I met.
People often tell me that I spend a little too much time on Facebook. Well, there may be some truth to that. But thanks to Facebook, I have occasionally been reunited with friends whom I had, for one reason or another, lost touch with.
When I was 14 years old, my parents hosted three American teenagers who came to Sweden through an organization called “People to People”. They were to spend a few summer weeks living with our family. Two were 16-year-old girls from California, and the third was a young man.
One of the girls and I stayed in touch, and I have visited her several times in the United States. Sadly, I lost contact with the other girl, who got engaged during the trip.
Imagine my surprise when, just a few years ago, I received a message from her saying that she had found me on Facebook. She wondered if we could meet because she and her husband – although not the young man she had been engaged to all those years ago – were planning a trip to Bangkok.
I immediately replied that they would be most welcome, and I invited them to dinner at my home.
It was as if time had stood still. We simply picked up where we had left off so many years earlier, while her husband sat there smiling quietly as we reminisced and brought old memories back to life.
I couldn’t help but spare a grateful thought for Facebook.
For quite some time, I have been following a Swedish chef on Facebook. What first caught my attention was his genuine passion for food and the mouthwatering photographs of the dishes he has created in different parts of the world. I felt that we shared the same appreciation for honest, well-cooked food, beautifully presented, yet without the, in my opinion, unnecessary extravagance that often characterizes so-called “fine dining”.
Over the years, I have been invited to quite a number of fine dining dinners. Yet, more often than not, I have left the table feeling rather disappointed. In fact, if I had happened to pass a hot dog stand on my way home, I probably would have stopped to buy one!
I’ve even experienced being expected to lick the food directly from the plate. Whatever the purpose of that is when perfectly good cutlery exists, I have no idea.
No, give me good, honest bistro food any day – freshly prepared, full of flavor, and, most importantly, satisfying enough to leave you feeling pleasantly full.
Perhaps not everyone will agree with me, but that’s the beauty of it. As we say in Sweden, “taste is like the backside – everyone has one”.
During my visit to Stockholm this summer, I discovered that Chef Stefan Jerkfelt was the head chef aboard one of the city’s most popular party boats, MS Molly. Out of genuine curiosity, I decided to get in touch with him in person and hear how his great passion for food had begun.
Of course, I sent him a message on Facebook and received an immediate reply. Unfortunately, we couldn’t meet aboard MS Molly, where Chef Stefan was busy overseeing countless summer events. Instead, we met at a cafe in Gothenburg shortly before I flew back home to Bangkok.
Chef Stefan turned out to be a modest man from Gothenburg, speaking with a distinct Gothenburg accent and a twinkle in his eyes. He told me that he was born in Gothenburg and attended school in nearby Mölndal.
Growing up with both a grandmother and a mother who were passionate about cooking and highly skilled in the kitchen, he was naturally drawn there – much like a bee to honey. From an early age, he knew that his future would be among the pots and pans of professional kitchens.
After graduating from high school, he headed to the famous ski resort of Chamonix in France. There, he found work in the kitchens of several hotels and enjoyed what many young men would consider a dream life – skiing during the day and working in the kitchens in the evenings.
After carving his way down most of the slopes in Chamonix, he made a brief visit to Sweden before it was time to get serious. He enrolled at L’Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne (EHL) in Switzerland, widely regarded as the world’s oldest hotel management school, founded in 1893. As if that wasn’t enough, he also attended the Hospitality Business School Cesar Ritz College in Brig, Valais, Switzerland, which is also considered one of the best hotel schools, awarded “Top Five School” worldwide.
After many years of education, it was time to put it into practice, and now we are talking about an extensive CV.
His adventure started after a six-month practice at the Hotel Richemond in Geneva.
And now for the remarkable part. His career took him to Germany, Egypt, the United States, and many other countries around the world, to name just a few.
At this point, I felt compelled to interrupt and ask Stefan about his private life.
“Are you married? Do you have a family?”
The answer came without hesitation.
“No, I’ve never been married, and I’m not. I don’t have any children, but I do spoil my nieces and nephews. I’ve devoted my life to food, and, at least for now, I’m perfectly content with that.”
A faint smile appears on his lips. I find myself wondering whether it is touched by a hint of melancholy or simply the smile of a man who is genuinely at peace with the life he has chosen. I decided not to ask.
I can now also reveal that Chef Stefan was part of the team that opened The Ritz-Carlton in Bangkok.
Stefan has traveled to Thailand countless times and worked in a wide variety of places, even in the Thai jungle. He has also worked for Volvo in Phuket and elsewhere in Asia, and serves as ambassador for Nordhamn, a company that imports exclusive, manufactured teak cutlery from Willow Tree Decor in Bangkok, Thailand.
One slowly begins to wonder whether there is anything this young man, born in 1967, has not done or been involved in.
I could easily fill an entire book if I were to tell the story of everything he has accomplished. I should, however, mention that he holds a professorship in culinary arts from India, where he has also taught.
Finally, it must be said that a large part of Stefan’s heart belongs to MS Molly, the beautiful houseboat complete with a sauna and a hot tub. When she is not cruising the Stockholm archipelago, she is moored along Strandvägen, just a stone’s throw from the historic vessel Motala Express, which I mentioned earlier.
Countless events have been held aboard MS Molly, with Chef Stefan single-handedly responsible for every meal. Over the years, many well-known personalities and celebrities have enjoyed his cuisine on board. Stefan proudly told me about the opportunity he had to work alongside the renowned Nobel Chef Johnny Johansson. Johnny Johansson was the head chef responsible for eleven consecutive years, from 1978 to 1989. He remains the only chef ever to have been officially granted the title “Nobel Chef” by the Nobel Foundation, and he is also the only chef to have received the “Nobel Foundation’s Gold Medal” in recognition of outstanding contributions.
In 2025, Johnny tragically suffered a cardiac arrest aboard MS Molly while preparing the menu for Swedish table tennis legend “Jan-Ove” Waldner’s 60th birthday celebration. Despite receiving immediate medical attention, he unfortunately passed away. Following Chef Johnny’s untimely death, it was none other than Chef Stefan Jerkfelt who took over the role of head chef aboard MS Molly, continuing the culinary legacy of one of Sweden’s most celebrated chefs.
My final question to Stefan was, “Do you have any particular plans or dreams for the future?”
His answer was immediate:
“Looking ahead, I would most like to become the resident chef at an ambassador’s residence. After all these years of traveling and constantly seeking new challenges, that would be the ideal position for me.”
I could not agree more. Without a doubt, Chef Stefan would make an outstanding chef at any Swedish residence anywhere in the world. His passion for food, together with his deep knowledge of cuisine – especially traditional Swedish cooking – would undoubtedly be a tremendous success.
For now, we can look forward to welcoming Stefan back to Bangkok towards the end of the year. Who knows where he will be appearing as a guest chef this time?
I’ll keep you updated.
It is remarkable people like Stefan that one comes across while browsing Facebook. I think I’ll continue doing just that!
Stay tuned.
