Perhaps the only thing wok-seared bok choy and Swedish meatballs have in common is that they both appear on the menu at Njord Haven, located across from Fishermen’s Beach on Humphrey Street.

Owner Don Golden can be found manning the kitchen of Njord Haven 49 weeks of the year. He spends most of the remaining three weeks of the year traveling to Southeast Asia and Scandinavia.

Long before opening Njord Haven in 2022, Golden worked as the regional director of food and nutrition for Shriner’s Hospital in Boston. He first traveled to Southeast Asia when some regular customers, medical staff at Mass General Hospital, invited him to a clinic in Vietnam. Golden had no idea at the time that this trip would change his life forever.

“It was life altering for me,” said Golden, who grew up in South Boston. “All the rules I’d learned as a classically trained Western chef…Nobody in Asia cares what kind of knife you use or how good it is. I felt like a complete idiot when I got back from my three week trek.”

It didn’t take long for Golden to return to Asia. His second trip to Vietnam, an “Apocalypse Now-like” trek, took him through the country and eventually into Thailand and Myanmar. Along the way, Golden watched local chefs cook and learned about the ingredients they used.

“Asian cooks don’t hide ingredients,” said Golden. “You watch them make it right on the street. It’s like a cooking show.”

Golden felt that the knowledge he gained in Asia was special, and he kept going back for more. Before long, he had the idea of opening a restaurant to showcase what he had learned.

He spent months building and preparing the interior of the Swampscott restaurant before it opened. He said looking out to the water reminded him deeply of Scandinavia and his “Celt-Nordic” DNA.

Golden decided to go out on a limb and incorporate both into his restaurant.

Today, the menu of Njord Haven is cut in half. One side is labeled “Travels in Asia,” featuring dishes like steamed dumplings and drunken noodles. The other side, “Reclaiming Scandinavia,” has items like Nordic style crab cakes and Copenhagen style sirloin.

“We’re a little weird for the area, but after four years we’ve caught on pretty well,” said Golden.

The dream of every chef is to one day open their own restaurant, Golden said, but after Njord Haven opened its doors, he still wasn’t fully satisfied.

“When you get so much knowledge for free, it needs to be repaid,” said Golden. “It cannot just be stolen. The debt needs to be repaid.”

Golden had the idea of visiting orphanages in Southeast Asia and cooking for the children as a way to repay that debt. His first volunteer mission started at an orphanage in Vietnam for blind, deaf and mentally disabled children. Golden showed up, ready to cook, with chocolate bars in hand.

The next year it was Bangkok, then the Philippines, then Indonesia. Golden has no plans of stopping these visits anytime soon.

He often takes older children to food markets when he arrives, and then Golden makes whatever the children may please. One group requested American food, and they were treated to baby back ribs, mac and cheese and pulled chicken. Golden also always makes sure ice cream is included.

Golden said although the children are well cared for, they rarely are treated to special foods or anything in excess. Even meat can be a rarity.

“I remember the first time I was at a beach and an ice cream truck came, for me it was really a big deal,” said Golden. “We have these memories of being a child and these really happy moments with food that just stay with us forever, and I felt these kids aren’t getting that.”

Golden said his goal is to provide an endorphin rush – and a sugar rush – to as many children as possible, once a year.

Back home at the restaurant, Njord Haven aprons are sold to help Golden achieve his goal of attending as many orphanages as possible.

“The customers here support it,” said Golden. “Our customers are very loving. We’ve got this very cool cult following because we’re weird. We’re not for everybody, plenty of people don’t really understand what we’re doing here but the people who do are very enthusiastic.”

Along with providing valuable memories to children, Golden said he is always learning on his trips from the culinary staff at each orphanage – And continues to bring home new ideas to Njord Haven year after year.

“I call it my treasure chest of travel, I go there and like a viking I plunder recipes, I load my chest and I bring it back to America,” said Golden. “It puts the soul, the heart and the authenticity into the food.”

When he returns home from his annual trip to Asia, Golden said his sense of purpose is refocused.

“It keeps me very humble,” he said. “It helps me realize I have so much. I have so much more to learn and I’m not going to stop.”