Hello, Kristian!
He has spent his career making meals that he wants to be remembered. We are so glad he is here. Get to know Kristian Fila, our Culinary Head Chef at Villa Nord.
The moment that decided it
Kristian Fila remembers the exact evening he understood what cooking really ment. He was in his early twenties, far from his family in Piraeus, working through a long Christmas Eve service. After the last cover, he looked out of the kitchen window.
Outside, people were celebrating. Unhurried, present, deeply together — gathered around a meal that he and his team had made for them.
“If you were to ask those people today what they ate that Christmas, and with whom they spent those days,” he says, “I assure you they would remember every single detail.”
That was the moment he understood that food is not just a product of need and survival. It is something that bring people together, make them happy and stir deep feelings.
“It was a moment where I said to myself: This is what I want to do - make people happy with my food.”
The long way here
The journey from Piraeus to Trondheim has taken Kristian through some of the most demanding kitchens in the world. Michelin-starred restaurants in the French Alps. Luxury hospitality across the Middle East. A career built across cultures and cuisines — French technique, Nordic produce, MediterrAsian instinct — always in motion, always learning.
“The most important value for me is staying honest, humble, and precise in every step you take. The kitchen is a place that does not forgive easily, but from every situation – through the good and the bad days – we take something with us. “
This road shaped a philosophy that is difficult to acquire any other way. High-end hospitality, Kristian will tell you, is not about the beautiful result. It is about the years of hard days behind it. The discipline to hold your standards.
“The most important thing I have learned through my years in the kitchen — and in life — is that if you walk alone you go faster, but with your team and the people you trust, you go higher.”
“The most important value for me is staying honest, humble, and precise in every step you take. The kitchen is a place that does not forgive easily, but from every situation – through the good and the bad days – we take something with us.”
— Kristian Fila, Culinary Head Chef
“Here we are”
When Kristian first spoke with Helene Skjenneberg and Eivind Askeland about Villa Nord, something settled quickly. They shared a vision. They were open about what they were building and why. They had values, and they were willing to talk about them.
“From our very first contact, we were on the same page,” he says. “Listening to them, it was hard to say no.”
Some things are meant to be and after Kristian walked through the door at Dronningens gate 26 for the first time, it felt exactly right.
“I had a feeling that told me: here we are.”
“Villa Nord is a place I could feel and envision from the very beginning — starting from scratch, but with a lot of history and a strong aesthetic identity behind it. The vision here is completely different from any restaurant I have worked in before.”
— Kristian Fila
What he is building
What Kristian is putting together at Villa Nord runs deeper than a menu. Every dish will carry its own story — a philosophy of sourcing, technique and intention that connects the plate to the place. The breakfast table that continues a tradition begun at Hôtel du Nord in 1837. The bistro that draws on local produce and the seasons rather than a fixed style.
“There is no middle ground,” he says. “No ‘just good enough.’ It is always the right way and the best choice — even when no one is watching.”
“The philosophy behind every single dish we are about to serve runs very deep, with its own story and history, and that will make people fall in love the moment they hear the story behind our food.
I want our guests to feel like they are having one of the most unforgettable experiences of their lives through our hospitality. Especially from the kitchen side, I want to show every guest why we can be the best, and I truly believe it.”
What Kristian wants guests to remember
Ask Kristian what he wants guests to take with them when they leave Villa Nord and he does not talk about technique or reputation. He is more specific than that, and more personal.
“I would love for every single person who walks out Villa Nord to remember every bite they had — from breakfast to the café to the bistro.”
It is the same thing he understood looking out of a kitchen window on a Christmas Eve, years ago and far from home: that a meal, at its best, is something people describe when you ask them about the days they will never forget.
About Kristian
Postion: Culinary Head Chef, Villa Nord
Background: Michelin-starred restaurants and International luxury hospitality from the French Alps to Saudi Arabia to Norway
Special field: French cuisine, MediterrAsian fusion cuisine, Nordic comfort modern
From: Piraeus, Greece
Hobby: Basketball mostly and a huge fan of the sport
