NORDIC BRIGADE — Hospitality Recruitment by Ari Lepisto
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NORDIC BRIGADE — Hospitality Recruitment by Ari Lepisto

International Hospitality Recruitment

Chosen by a chef with 30+ years in kitchens. For Nordic hospitality, African resorts, remote operations and private residences — with Japan and Asia also in focus.

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30+

years in kitchens, catering and camps

7+

nationalities recruited and led in one team

1,000+

military personnel catered for the US Government

3

embassy kitchens in Tokyo

Who I recruit for

Nordic hospitality

Finland, Sweden and Norway. Seasonal chefs for Nordic Lapland, Lofoten and the Swedish mountains — with practical trial-shift assessment.

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Africa & remote operations

Hotels and resorts in East Africa, plus kitchen, catering and DFAC staff for camps and contractors.

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Private & diplomatic residences

Private chefs, service and housekeeping staff. Discretion informed by experience in ambassadors' residences in Tokyo.

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Why me

I have spent more than 30 years in kitchens, catering and camps — from Swedish restaurants to embassy kitchens in Tokyo, from UN and US Government contracts in Afghanistan and Mogadishu to an Arctic resort in Lofoten. I know what a good cook looks like on a busy service, and what it takes to hold a team together far from home. I recruit the way I would hire for my own kitchen.

Read my story

Candidates never pay.

The employer pays my fee. Always.

Ari Lepisto watching his kitchen team at the pass

Hospitality recruitment built on real kitchen experience

International recruitment of chefs, cooks and hotel & restaurant staff

Behind every successful kitchen are people who master their craft, support their colleagues and deliver when the pace is high. NORDIC BRIGADE is built on one simple belief: good recruitment starts with truly understanding the work.

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Founder Ari Lepisto started his career in Swedish kitchens in 1986. Since then, his professional journey has taken him from embassy kitchens in Tokyo and resorts on Zanzibar to multinational companies in post-conflict areas, international catering contracts as an entrepreneur and quality kitchens in remote locations, to the Nordic hotel and restaurant industry.

He has worked where skill, discipline, teamwork and performing under pressure are decisive — experience that shapes how he finds the right people for the right operation.

More than a CV

Finding the right chef or hospitality specialist is about more than qualifications and titles. It is about how a person works, fits into a team and handles the demands of that specific operation.

NORDIC BRIGADE helps hotels, restaurants, resorts, private households and remote sites find skilled professionals who fit both the role and the working environment — whether a seasonal cook in the Nordics, experienced kitchen staff for an international resort or a private chef for an exclusive household. The goal is a match that works in practice, not just on paper.

International experience. Personal understanding.

We combine international recruitment with practical knowledge of daily kitchen life, looking at the whole picture: the employer's needs, the candidate's skills and what it takes for the collaboration to last. We don't fill a position at any cost — we find the right person for the right job.

A fair recruitment process

Employers get help finding the right skills. Candidates are treated professionally and get a clear picture of the opportunity and its requirements. One principle always applies: candidates never pay the recruitment fee — the employer does.

NORDIC BRIGADE. Real experience. Professional judgement. The right people in the right place.

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