Here at The Staff Canteen, we feature a different member every month who we think deserves to be celebrated – this month’s winner is Shane Davies-Nilsson.
As thanks for being a regular contributor to The Staff Canteen, Shane will receive a TSC mug, an item of merchandise from our online store, and be entered into our member of the year 2025 competition.
Shane, who works as a chef at Ember in Cardiff, has been a member of The Staff Canteen since 2019 but a user for over 15 years.
Dubbed 'The Nordic Prince', he has been involved in the culinary industry from the age of 12 where he would oversee his mothers cooking.
He added: “My mum used to carry me while she cooked. When we visited Sweden, the first thing I’d do is ask to bake bread with my gran. We had matching aprons and teddy bear oven mitts - it’s a memory that’s never left me.
“By 12, I knew I wanted to be a chef - or a football manager! But cooking seemed more realistic. At 15, I landed my first job at a Harvester in Swansea and have been working in kitchens ever since.”
Shane has spent time at Michelin-recognised restaurants including Dill in Iceland - the country’s first Michelin-starred restaurant, and The Ledbury.
Now, Shane has been working on his own personal enterprise the last four years, a pop-up eatery featuring Nordic classics in South Wales, he added: “Nordic started as a pop-up, but my dream is to make it permanent. Right now, it’s a tasting menu concept - guests choose between five to eight courses. I just had a full house last night with two seatings.
"In the future, I want to move towards a small plates model, similar to what Tom Brown did at Cornerstone.”
To get to know a bit more about Shane, we asked him some quick-fire questions to finish.
Name a comfort food that isn’t considered ‘cheffy’ but that you love to eat
"Buttery mashed potatoes with loads of grated cheese. It doesn’t have to be perfect – sometimes it’s smooth, other times it’s lumpy. I just microwave a couple of potatoes, peel them, mash them up with a fork, add a good amount of butter, salt, and cheese. It's not fancy, but it hits the spot every time. I’ll sit down and eat it like a goblin in my kitchen – it’s proper comfort. It reminds me that food doesn’t always have to be elegant or plated up perfectly to be satisfying. Sometimes the best food is the messiest."
What do you like about being a part of The Staff Canteen?
"I’ve been following The Staff Canteen since I was 15 or 16. It’s one of the first tools I had when I started out – seeing other chefs sharing their food, their ideas, their challenges. It’s a space where chefs can express themselves without fear of judgment. Unlike some chef groups online where people are quick to criticise, The Staff Canteen community feels supportive. It’s inspiring. It’s honest. It lets people just be themselves, and in our industry, that’s rare."
What is your proudest career achievement?
"Taking the leap to set up my own pop-up. That was huge. I was terrified – it felt like such a big risk. But my first pop-up completely sold out in just 48 hours – and that was two months before it even happened. At that point, no one really knew who I was. But people came. They supported it. That belief from others gave me the confidence to keep going. It still stands as one of the proudest moments in my career."
What is the most important lesson you’ve learnt as a chef?
"Be a sponge. Always be learning. There’s no such thing as knowing it all. You can learn something new every single day – from someone younger, older, in a different kitchen, or even from mistakes. I think the moment you stop learning, or you think you’ve got nothing left to learn, that’s when you should hang up your apron. Some lessons teach you what to do, and others teach you what not to do – and both are equally important."
What are your hopes and plans for the future in hospitality?
"My biggest hope is to turn Nordic into a permanent restaurant. I don’t care about Michelin stars or accolades anymore – I used to, but not now. I just want to create a space where people feel genuinely welcomed. Where it feels like you’re sitting down with friends around the dinner table, sharing really good food. That sense of comfort, community, and connection – that’s what I’m chasing. If I can make people happy through what I cook, then I’ve succeeded."
