In 2019, Anna Søgaard arrived in Manchester with four years of Danish culinary training and a grounding in its renowned fine dining scene under her belt. A sous chef job at Erst, a new natural wine bar and restaurant in the city's Ancoats area, was behind the move, but Anna quickly settled into life here, thanks in part, she thinks, to the UK acting as something of a bridge between America and Denmark, where she was raised. ‘There were a lot of things I missed about the States that we have here in the UK, but it was still Europe and I was close to Denmark,’ she smiles. ‘It just felt right – and the people in Manchester are so welcoming.’ Fast forward four years and Anna is gearing up for her next move, helming the kitchen of Bistro Freddie and Shoreditch, a Crispin Group venture, her first head chef role and a step which puts her on the capital's restaurant radar.

It might seem obvious to her now, but Anna didn’t realise the professional kitchen was where she would call home for some time. Raised by her Danish father and half-Danish, and first generation American, mother (‘I feel like I really genuinely am half Danish and American, I don’t think I’m more one than the other’), she says that while her family always enjoyed home-cooked meals, she wouldn’t necessarily describe her upbringing as foodie. It was while supporting herself through a communications degree in the States that she picked up a hospitality job and quickly found an affinity with the rush of service. ‘I was waiting tables and loved that whole environment, that whole kind of machine that is working in a restaurant,’ she says. ‘That buzz really fit my personality, I liked how fast-paced it was, I liked the noise and the drama and how close people get, the bonds they make.’

That spark, and a hobby of cooking dinner for friends, might have been nudging her in the right direction, but it wasn’t until her father, an architect who’d spent his career enthused by his work, gave her some sage advice. ‘My dad sat me down and he said ‘figure it out. Figure out what you’re passionate about. What do you love to do? And make that into your career’.’ With the price of training in America prohibitively steep, she moved back to Denmark at twenty-three to train there, signing up to a four-year course with plenty of hands-on learning. ‘I was a lot older than a lot of my classmates,’ she says. ‘A lot of them were eighteen, nineteen, but I don’t think that if I'd have started that young, I would have had the discipline, so in that sense I’m glad I waited. It was really hard work – the standards they have for chefs there is incredibly high. Having never worked in the kitchen before it was a shock, especially because most of the kitchens I have been in I have been the only woman. But I loved every minute and really tried to soak in everything that I could.’

As well as getting a taste of Copenhagen’s fine dining scene, it was there that Anna met chef Nick Curtin – of the Danish Restaurant Alouette – who became, and has remained, an influential mentor. ‘He really took me under his wing and not only taught me skills and cooking, but showed me how to be a good leader,’ she nods. ‘He made the kitchen feel like everyone had a voice. He took mentoring his chefs so seriously. That’s what stuck with me. He was always brutally honest with me. Still now, every career move that I’ve made so far, he’s been the first person I’ve called.’ By 2019, Anna was ready for the next chapter and the role at the then soon-to-open Erst seemed like a perfect fit, its focus on natural wines, which she shared, catching her eye. ‘I moved over a couple of months before we opened, and was part of the development stage of the restaurant concept,’ she says. ‘It was just the best experience of my career, being part of something from the ground up.’

Despite having the feel of a neighbourhood spot, Erst managed to swiftly attract national reviews (Jay Rayner described it as one of the best meals of the year) and earn a spot in the Michelin guide. Anna looks back on that time fondly, describing it as feeling as though they were part of a movement, with fellow independents like Flawd Wine and Higher Ground also adding to the city's culinary patchwork. But the lure of making her own mark soon won out, and she found herself ready for pastures new. ‘I could have stayed at Erst forever, it’s been the best job I’ve ever had, but I just felt like maybe it was time for me to do my own thing,’ she says. ‘I’ve had all these learning experiences along the way, some good, some bad, but they've all accumulated into me finding out who I am as a chef and, and what I want to do.’

The result is Bistro Freddie, a project with the Crispin Group (which is behind Spitalfields' Crispin) in the former home of Turkish restaurant Oklava. Promising old-school London hospitality and the best produce from the British Isles, the menu is classic and comforting, a far cry from the intricate fine dining of her training. ‘A lot of people would be surprised by me saying this because I’m not British, so they might think who is she, as a Danish American, to be cooking British food? But it’s the food I love to eat – I love bistro culture and generous portions,’ she says. ‘Fine dining and New Nordic was never really who I am as a chef. I have such high respect for it and love eating it, but old Danish cooking is quite similar to British pub food or traditional, classic food. It’s stick to your ribs kind of food, with a sense of nostalgia. I love when people see a plate that might look like a new interpretation of something, but when you taste it there’s a familiarity to it.’

Cuisine might be king, but it’s clear Anna relishes the challenge of leadership, and that finding the right people for her team is vital. ‘The most important thing is their attitude, their personality, their approach,’ she says. ‘That’s the only thing you can’t teach. So we have a few chefs that are quite green to the industry, but all of them have a certain experiences that brings something new to the table.’ Gender equality has been a priority, and the kitchen make-up is now half women and half men. ‘I really want to empower women,’ she says. ‘In kitchens where I’ve been the only woman, certain chefs, especially in my early days, treated women differently than men. So I want everyone to feel like they’re equal. They’re not women or men, they’re just chefs.’

From the start of her career, Anna has been putting that ethos into action. In Manchester, she and Kim McBride, former sommelier at Erst, launched Suppher Club, an inclusive supper club powered by women (there are plans to continue it in Manchester, and Anna recently held her first event in London with Maene head chef Amber Francis and the Crispin Group's head of wine Alex Price). ‘Kim and I were the only two women on the team when Erst first opened, so we bonded over that,’ Anna explains. At the time, Kim was volunteering with Manchester Rape Crisis, and the pair were inspired to host a dinner to raise funds for the cause. What was initially meant to be a one-off event caught attention, and they were flooded with messages from women in the industry asking to be involved. 'It took off, and we decided to use this platform to showcase all the incredible talent that women in this industry have,' Anna smiles. 'It’s powerful because it shows you how much women want to support each other. It's important.'