Filip August was born in Sandnes, Norway, in a region renowned for its agriculture, fjords and amazing landscapes. He was immersed in the warm ambiance of good food from a very early age, growing up in a Norwegian-Italian family in which men and women shared the cooking. His father, who worked in the hotel trade, introduced him to the kitchen when he was still very young. Before long, he was smitten! Today, two of his three brothers are cooks and have even joined his support team in preparing for the Bocuse d’Or.
At around 14 years old, Filip decided to become a professional cook, determined to be the best. Perfectionist and ambitious, he invested all his energy in learning from the greats. He went to Copenhagen and managed to work his way into the kitchens at Noma, where he stayed until he received a call from his compatriot, Gunnar Hvarnes, asking him to become his commis chef at the 2010-11 Bocuse d’Or. Scarcely had he climbed off the podium there than he received a call from Stockholm; Mathias Dahlgren was adding him to his brigade. No time to take a breath, but the offer left him ecstatic. During three intense years in Matsalen, he absorbed Mathias’ naturalist vision; this desire to cook with a respect for nature and the natural environment, while still open to products from all over the world provided they are excellent, still guides Filip’s work to this day. Then came another phone call and this time he was headed for New York City to join Boulud’s brigade, an opportunity for him to become familiar with French cuisine.
Next, he returned to Norway to head up the kitchen at the Annen Etage in Stavanger. Finally, he was recruited by the Thon Hotels chain to manage their culinary creativity. A few competitions along the way and then it would be Lyon! In this ultimate quest for the podium, accompanied by his commis chef Leon Haarberg Nilsen, he had a solid, affable crew to count on… along with Ava, his understanding partner who also gave him the gift of fatherhood with the birth of Alba in 2022.
When he isn’t in the kitchen, Filip satisfies his artistic side by writing poems or visiting art exhibitions; he has a fondness for artists like Paolo Scheggi, Umberto Mariani and Martin Whatson. When it comes to sport, he finds a form of meditation in the bodybuilding gym where he enjoys lifting some very heavy weights!
