ADA, Michigan — Chef Paul Berglund has traveled the country cooking his way to a James Beard Award in 2016. Now he's bringing his talents to Ada with his new Italian-fare inspired restaurant, Myrth.
The name itself has a unique backstory. Mirth, which means amusement that's usually expressed through laughter, was rearranged to reflect his family. He took My and added the initials of his son Rumi, his wife Tia and his dog Henry to make up Myrth.
For the Navy vet and decorated chef, Myrth has been a long time coming. After serving in Japan, he was inspired by cuisine and wanted to pursue it professionally. He moved his way from California to Minneapolis cooking his way through different styles of food. It was in 2016 when he picked up his James Beard Award win for Best Chef in the Midwest for his work at The Bachelor Farmer in Minneapolis. The award is a coveted restaurateur accomplishment and only a few are handed out every year.
“When chefs win those awards, they don't win them alone," he said. “It's a special thing. I don't take it for granted.”
After moving his family to West Michigan in 2020 he wanted to open up his restaurant right away, but COVID-19 put a halt to all his plans.
"No one in the middle of 2020 wanted to talk to anybody about opening a restaurant," Berglund said. “I will tell you that there were some dark moments back when I didn't know if this was going to happen.”
Now it's happening in the growing downtown Ada community. Chef Berglund is mostly doing the overseeing of the new restaurant and is letting other talented chefs shine. He says the changing seasons that Michigan has will keep the menu fresh and new, as he sources local ingredients from West Michigan farmers.
“Our goal is to really take what the great West Michigan farmers give us and then hopefully give back in the form of financial support for other small businesses," Berglund added.
