As a child growing up in Sweden, Par Gunnar Gustafsson (known as "P.G.") used to watch a famous chef on television named Tore Wretman. Fascinated by what he saw, at the age of only four Gustafsson told his mother "When I grow up that will be me!" Quite prescient for a four year old but not too far off the mark, as Gustafsson has parlayed his early love of cooking into a career as one of New York's most well-regarded young chefs.

Gustafsson was appointed Executive Chef of Petrossian in September of 1995, after serving as the Executive Chef of Snaps, a noted Scandinavian restaurant that had opened in the summer of 1992. Prior to that position, Gustafsson was the Executive Sous Chef for three years at the award-winning Aquavit. Gustafsson came to the United States in 1989 to join Christer Larsson at Aquavit, following several years cooking for the top restaurants of Stockholm. He is regarded as a master of smorgasbord, and as such was invited to prepare the traditional Swedish buffet in top hotels from Hong Kong to Switzerland. His culinary expertise is particularly apparent in his knowledge and inventive use of seafood, both fresh and smoked, that serves him well in his position at Petrossian. Gustafsson is a graduate of the Kristineberg culinary school in Stockholm.