His Majesty King Frederik X of Denmark, His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden and His Excellency Mr. Alexander Stubb, President of the Republic of Finland, opened their doors to the very select Club des Chefs des Chefs.
Copenhagen, Stockholm, Helsinki.
From the private apartments of Amalienborg to the Royal Palace in Stockholm, to the residence of the Finnish president: story of the Nordic journey of the Club des Chefs des Chefs.
Copenhagen: the prince of 1984 opens his door
Copenhagen, 1984. With his brother Joachim at his side, Frederik, then a 16-year-old teenager, received the title of honorary member of the Chefs’ Club in the name of their father Prince Henrik.
The Danish Royal House specifies that this was the very first official mission of the current king.
September 2026. Having become king, Frederik X welcomes the Club des Chefs des Chefs back to Copenhagen.
Amalienborg, September 14, 2026.
They are all there: the heads of the Élysée, the White House, King Charles III, Prince Albert II, the Indian president or the German chancellery. They come from around twenty countries, from Canada to Kazakhstan, from Singapore to the Ivory Coast, from Saudi Arabia to Ireland.
On this day, they pass the equestrian statue of Frederik V, the bearskin caps of the Royal Guard and enter the private apartments of the palace of Frederik VIII, where the royal family lives. For the head of the King of Denmark, the journey begins at home.
Frederik He guides his visitors himself.
The Chefs linger in front of world maps painted on the walls by different artists, then discover a textile work with a strangely digital appearance.
Here, monarchical tradition coexists with contemporary art.
Then comes the official photograph. The grand staircase, the red hangings, the golden banisters. Twenty white jackets in tiers, each embroidered with the coat of arms of a country. In the center, the king, tweed jacket and open collar, frank smile. A sovereign receiving a delegation? No, a host who welcomes friends.
The Club offers a chef’s jacket, embroidered with the king’s coat of arms. The prince of 1984 receives the outfit of those who welcomed him for his first mission.
Stockholm: the King of Sweden in a chef’s jacket
The next day, September 15. At the Royal Palace in Stockholm, Carl XVI Gustaf receives the Club in Princess Sibylla’s apartments. Pale green woodwork, gilded trophies, crystal chandelier, oriental rugs. On the wall, in a gilded frame topped with a crown, a portrait in 19th century uniform watches over the scene.
This September 15, 2026, he celebrates fifty-three years of reign, a record in the history of the Swedish monarchy.
And it is with the chefs of the heads of state that he spends part of this day.
The king’s laughter
Gilles Bragard steps forward, presenting the king with a chef’s jacket embroidered with his name and the arms of the Kingdom.
Elegant and symbolic gesture. Those who usually fade away in the service of the greats of this world invite us to enter their world for a moment.
The king is amused. Oppositely, the leaders laugh with him. No poses. Just a shared moment.
Helsinki: at Alexander Stubb
After two monarchies, a Republic.
On September 17, Alexander Stubb received the Club at his home in Mäntyniemi, the residence where he lives, by the sea.
Designed by architects Raili and Reima Pietilä and completed in 1993, the residence turns its back on the solemnity of classical palaces. No colonnade, no grandiose perspective. High bay windows that reflect the pines, granite steps, volumes that embrace the rock and the northern light.
It is on this exterior staircase that the photograph is taken. In the center, the President holds his Chef’s jacket embroidered with the Lion of Finland and his name, Alexander Stubb, Finland.
At his side, Christian Garcia, Gilles and Monica Bragard. Behind, in stands, the white jackets of the members of the Club des Chefs des Chefs.
Two Kings and a President are now, to some extent, members of the brigade.
The origin of the CCC: the G7 of Valéry Giscard d’Estaing and a table at Paul Bocuse
Men in white jackets who have one thing in common: they are all Chef de Cuisine for a Head of State. Same pressure, same silence, same sleepless nights before an official visit. And yet, they don’t know each other.
Gilles Bragard, designer of clothing for chefs, has an intuition: like the first summit which gave birth to the G7, organized by Valéry Giscard D’Estaing in November 1975, these men in the shadows must meet!
In 1977, he brought them together with his friend Paul Bocuse to create the G7 of Cuisine.
The Club des Chefs des Chefs was born.
For Gilles, a golden rule: every year, bring together the members of the Club for a trip, an expedition, a meeting.
Half a century later, Gilles Bragard still organizes these annual meetings. The boss of each trip, he plans everything from A to Z, opens the doors, settles the audiences. At his side, Monica, his elegant wife, is much more than a presence: she is his first support and his most listened to advisor. The one who, behind the scenes, ensures that every detail lives up to the invitation.
Next year, the Chefs des Chefs will hit the road again for a new journey.
And this time, it will be to celebrate the Club’s fiftieth anniversary.
The destination? Shh. Gilles Bragard keeps the secret.
To be continued…
Sources and credits
Institutional sources
- Royal House of Denmark, “Besøg af Club des Chefs des Chefs” gallery, September 14, 2026: kongehuset.dk
- Royal House of Sweden, audience of September 15, 2026: kungahuset.se
- Royal House of Sweden, biography of H.M. the King (accession to the throne on September 15, 1973): kungahuset.se
- Presidency of the Republic of Finland, presentation by Mäntyniemi: presidentti.fi
- Finnish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, press release dated September 21, 2026: valtioneuvosto.fi
- Club des Chefs des Chefs, history and members: chefs-des-chefs.com/history; chefs-des-chefs.com/members
Press
- Gala store (Sweden), “Kungen tog emot klubben för statschefers köksmästare på Slottet”: galamagasin.se
- News55 (Sweden), “Kungen fick ovanlig gåva när världens hovkockar kom till Slottet”: news55.se
- Hufvudstadsbladet (Finland), visit to the Käpylä school: hbl.fi
Image credits
- Main image: © Kongehuset
- Iconography 1 and 5: © Club des Chefs des Chefs
- Icons 2 and 3: © Henrik Garlöv / Kungl. Hovstaterna
- Iconography 4: © Presidency of the Republic of Finland
