When did you know that you wanted to work in food? 

I've always been very interested in food and the whole ritual behind sharing a meal. I think my interest in food started back with our Sunday family dinners growing up. I'd rather hang out with my auntie Ellen cooking in the kitchen than play with my cousins until dinner was ready.

When I was older I chose fashion as my career path, where I felt I could use my creativity in a way that made sense to me, in a way that I really loved. With the added experience of two years as a dedicated barista, my intense focus on coffee made me very confused about what I was doing with my fashion endeavors. I came to realize that they are not so different, food and fashion. It's all about the the process and the quality that bring you to the finale, whether it's a meal, a perfect cup of coffee, a well-designed garment or the chase for the perfect editorial. It's all about how you choose to go at it.

I have always thought if I weren't in fashion, I'd be doing something in food, and I'm still not sure what that would be. Maybe I am doing it right now, as a Creative Director for a food/ art magazine? I think I just had my AHA moment! I don't think my work fits easily into the category of food - I work around it, I play with it and I use food as one of many mediums to express myself. Brutal Magazine is more than just food. I would describe us as an Art magazine where food and fashion are our main content.

How did you get your current good food job?

Based out of a strong gut feeling and a really fun idea, Brutal Magazine got started last year by myself and then editorial director Gheanna Emilia.

How did your previous work or life experience prepare you for a good food job? 

Since I come from a background in fashion and working on other publications both here in NYC and back home in Scandinavia, I have a good grasp of what is needed to produce a magazine. Throughout my 20's, I have had MANY internships and assistant jobs, even when I thought I should be done with working for free. These have all helped me gain much-needed experience and knowledge to start my own thing. Looking back, I didn't realize the great lessons I learned when I was in the middle of it all, and I think that still happens. It is always important to stay curious, even if it's exhausting sometimes, and to understand that hard work and dreams will take you further than you might think.

What was the greatest obstacle you had to overcome in pursuing your Good Food Job dream? 

It comes at some point every year, more or less. I think the greatest obstacle to overcome with any job or dream is your own fear of failing. When you feel stuck and vulnerable and when you're sick and tired of the hustle, all you want is to throw your arms up, decide that a 9-to-5, a cat and a tv, zapping your way through life, is a wonderful option. But then something always happens to make you do it for just One More Week. And then one more. It's been the story of my last few years. It really is up and down. Taking the time to look back to see what you have done already is important, especially when things are tough. And not chasing just for the chase. What makes me keep at it is the refusal of defeat, I guess. Don't get me wrong - sometimes you have to take a good look in the mirror and ask yourself if the things you are doing are the right ones, and then navigate accordingly. But as long as there's an upward curve to the process, then I'd rather go at it than give up. If i didn't, I'd always keep asking myself what if?

Name one positive thing that a former employer taught you that you continue to appreciate?

I have so many but I'll share two: from my days at the Coffee Collective in Copenhagen, my bosses, Peter N. Dupont and Klaus Thomsen, taught me how to work on your craft with extreme perfection and precision, and how to pay real attention to detail. In the time when I was competing for the World Barista Championship, I really understood the impact one little detail could have for the rest of the experience or the product I was making. I apply this as much as I can to my work today - always wanting the projects I work on to fulfill their best potential.

Here in NYC, I have been lucky enough to work with many talented people. I believe I found my star in Tiina Laakkonen, an amazing Finnish stylist ( from the old school - the right school) whom I have assisted for the last two years. She has, among many many things, taught me not to force something when it doesn't feel right. This can be used in so many parts of our lives. If it ain't right, it ain't right - and then something else will be.

What can you identify as the greatest opportunities in food right now?

I'd like to think educating people on a broader scale on the importance of eating healthy, not what we think is healthy (french fries are still not a veggie, guys). I often think we get told to do things - eat a certain way, change our unhealthy habits - out of fear. I believe it turns people off more often than it is effective. With online channels like Netflix, HBO, Hulu, etc, we have an incredible opportunity to enlighten people with truthful, valuable information in a way that can be interesting and inspiring, not discouraging or alienating. I am in love with some of the shows right now - Chef's Table is my favorite. Great storytelling in a very authentic and stripped down way. Even though high profile chefs are featured, they manage to explain good food in a very simple way. Let's get focused on excitement like this!

If you could be compensated for your work with something other than money, what would it be? 

Art. Tons of art. And obviously an apartment in the city for me to hang it all in. And an unlimited supply of Norwegian chocolate. And El Rey's kale and crudite salad with pickled egg and avocado.