24 June 2026
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When Frida Blomdahl Hay was 15, she left her village in northern Sweden to study interior design. But a weekend job at a small, family-run restaurant set her on a different path.
“I loved the idea that, for a few hours, we could take care of people and create a space where they could simply enjoy themselves with friends and family,” she says.
She’s been creating those moments ever since for lucky diners across the world. On June 24, she was awarded this year’s MICHELIN Guide California Service Award, presented by Capital One Dining, for her work as the General Manager at San Francisco’s Sons & Daughters.
The 24-course new Nordic tasting menu moves with great care in the hands of Blomdahl Hays and her team, starting with a few snacks in a communal lounge space, before continuing in a dining room with views into the kitchen.
Below, Blomdahl Hay tells us more about her path to the pinnacle of fine dining, her service philosophy and how Sons & Daughters’ move late last year to a larger venue has changed the way her team interacts with guests.
A three-to-four-hour seating in the wrong hands can feel too long. Take us through a guest’s evening at Sons & Daughters and how your team thinks about timing and pacing as part of the guest experience?
I think it's important to recognize that dining with us is an investment for our guests — not only financially, but also in terms of time. For me, hospitality is about respecting that commitment. We are asking guests to spend several hours with us, away from their everyday lives, and understanding the value of that time is crucial for our team.
While our experience is designed to take around three and a half to four hours, we don't view that as a rigid timeline. Every table is different. Some guests want to linger over conversations and enjoy a slower pace, while others prefer a more dynamic rhythm. Our role is to read the room and adapt accordingly.
The beginning of the experience is communal in our lounge, where guests spend around 30 minutes before being guided to their table in the dining room. Because this part involves multiple parties, it is naturally the least flexible section of the evening. Once guests are seated in the dining room, however, we have much greater freedom to tailor the pacing to their individual preferences and energy.
For me, great pacing means that guests never feel rushed, but they also never feel like they are waiting. If we do our job well, the evening feels natural and effortless.
Another important aspect of a longer service is that it allows guests to connect with the entire team. Throughout the experience they meet different members of the restaurant, each bringing their own personality, knowledge and style of hospitality. That variety creates energy, and it helps make a four-hour experience feel engaging rather than lengthy.
You have a new, bigger dining room. How has that impacted your work and what dinner looks like?
Moving into our new dining room gave us the opportunity to elevate every part of the guest experience. Our former home on Bush Street was intimate and charming — a luxury shoebox that had a special sense of closeness. While we loved that space, its size had certain challenges and limitations.
The new venue is more spacious, bright and open, while still feeling warm and personal because we designed it ourselves. It has allowed us to rethink everything from the flow of service and kitchen logistics to the overall atmosphere of the room.
One of the most meaningful changes is how the design allows us to interact with our guests. Every table faces the kitchen, creating a visual connection to the team and the work behind each dish. The larger space has also given us more opportunities for tableside presentations and conversations, allowing us to share more of the story behind the food while making guests feel involved in the experience.
From the moment we moved in, the space felt like home. It reflects Chef Harrison's cuisine and our shared vision for Sons & Daughters — a restaurant that is constantly evolving, refining and striving to create memorable experiences for every guest.
Do you have any philosophies about service that you try to impart to your team?
My philosophy on service is built around three principles: personality, patience and passion.
We are a diverse team with different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives, but what unites us is a genuine love for hospitality and for taking care of people. When hiring, I place far more value on attitude, curiosity and character than I do on qualifications. Skills can be taught, knowledge can be shared and standards can be trained. What is much harder to teach is kindness, humility and a genuine desire to serve others.
Working within a small team, chemistry is essential. I want everyone to feel empowered to contribute their own personality while understanding that we succeed together. Any recognition we receive belongs to all of us. We learn from one another every day, and our success is always a collective effort.
I often remind the team that we are humans welcoming other humans. Every guest arrives with their own story, mood, expectations and experiences, many of which we will never know. Because of that, I encourage the team to be present, observant and adaptable. Great service is not about delivering the same experience to every guest; it is about understanding what each individual needs from us in that moment.
There is no written recipe for hospitality. Just as every member of our team is unique, every guest is unique. My role as a leader is to create an environment where the team can be authentic while remaining thoughtful, respectful and generous. If we approach every interaction with warmth, empathy and genuine care, we can create experiences that feel personal, memorable and meaningful rather than transactional.
How did you get your start in industry?
I grew up in Funäsdalen, a village of around 900 people in northern Sweden. When I was 15, I moved 850 km (528 miles) from home to study interior design. It was a big change at a young age, but it taught me independence and helped me grow up quickly.
While studying, I started working weekends and holidays in a small, family-run restaurant with around 30 seats. The restaurant had a strong focus on local producers and a serious beer program, which was a great introduction to hospitality. What immediately drew me in was the energy of the dining room and the joy of bringing people together over good food and drink.
I loved the idea that, for a few hours, we could take care of people and create a space where they could simply enjoy themselves with friends and family. There was something incredibly rewarding about contributing to those moments.
After finishing my studies, I briefly worked in interior design. On paper, it was everything I had trained and hoped for — regular hours, good pay and a clear career path. But after two weeks I realized that my heart wasn't in it. I missed the feeling of being around people and creating experiences for them. Restaurants gave me a sense of purpose that I couldn't find anywhere else.
I returned to the restaurant industry with a focus on hospitality and never looked back. Since then, I've been driven by curiosity and a desire to keep learning. That journey has taken me through sommelier studies, sake education, hands-on work in vineyards and countless opportunities to learn from talented colleagues and producers along the way. What started as a weekend job became a lifelong passion that I share with my husband and a career that continues to inspire me every day.
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Hero image: California Service Award winner Frida Blomdahl Hay of Sons and Daughters. © Sons & Daughters
