Elena runs Restaurant Arzak in San Sebastian with her father Juan Mari Arzak, and she has the cooking in her venes since generations back. I had the pleasure to eat her exquisite food, and I have meet Elena both in Sweden and in San Sebastian during Gastronomika. And even if Elena is running a Michelin restaurant, she is as humble as bumblebee! She loves to share her knowledge with others, and is very passionate about what she cooks. She has worked at some amazing restaurants like La Maison Troisgros, Pierre Gagnaire, Carré des Feuillants and Le Vivarois in France, Louis XV i Monte Carlo, Le Gavroche in London, Antica Osteria del Ponte i Italien and El Bulli in Spain. And restaurant Arzak has been awarded with 3 Michelin stars and lots of other prizes and awardsfor their food!Not only that they have 3 Michelin stars since 1989, they have kept them for all those years!! When Elena was in the jury for the Swedish Chef of the Year 2019 I did a short interview with her for Gourmet in Swedish that you now can read down below in English.
Is there any Swedish chefs that has meant something special for you?
-At the time Mathias Dahlgren was running Bon Lloc he introduced the Swedish kitchen for me. He is a very talented chef that I really appreciate. But you have a lot of talented chefs in Sweden like Björn Frantzen, Niklas Ekstedt and Stefan Karlsson from Gothenbourg.
What do you think about the Swedish gastronomy scene?
-It is always very intresting to follow, and I really appreciate what the young chefs are doing. I always get lots of new great influences when I am in Sweden.
And how about the Swedish kitchen, what do you think about that?
-I really like the way the Swedish chefs are plating. Their way is ”Order but disorder” . I came up with that frase when I meet Gourmet’s Tove once! Sweden is really the king of fish, and lingonberry is really my Swedish favourite.
I appreciate the way swedes very often take nature in conscideration while choosing their produce. We also think that way in the Basque Country today.
The Swedish dairy products are fantastic! The butter, yoghurt… I had an amazing breakfast at Bank Hotel this morning with some really great dairy products!
Any thoughts about the chefs in the Chef of the year competition?
-They are full of new ideas, and you can see that they are proud over what they do.
How is it to be a chef in Spain?
-In the old days my father and his collegues had to fight for recognition of their work, today we don’t have to do that. People understand and appreciate what we do. This something I am very happy for! But it is important that you keep your feet at the ground, and to give other chefs the opportunity to show everyone what they know! And I, just like everyone else work at the restaurant!
You are well known for your engagement and with teaching kids to think about what they eat. Could you tell us some more about that?
-I tell them why it is important to eat the right nutrients, to my favour they listen to me and that helps of course. It is so important that the young people know what you are supposed to eat fro the beginning. I also work with San Sebastian Basque Culinary Center SBCC, I give advise to schools what children and teenagers need to eat to get the right nutrients and how they can create nutritional meals. In some other countries I help through some organizations like ”Food for the world” in New York and in Ethiopia. I also work with children that has cancer to get the right nutrition. I am doing as much as I can, and I think that is our duty to help children.
What is the biggest difference between the Spanish and the Swedish kitchen?
-The Swedish chefs often use less ingredients at the plate than the Spanish chefs. We often use a lot of different things at the plate. But both the Swedish and Spanish kitchen are using much locally produced foods. I also think that the Swedes are more daring in extreme flavors than we are.
Did you always wanna become a chef?
-There has never been anything else for me. I had good grades in school and I could choose what I wanted to become.
You have been to Sweden several times, your most memorable meal here?
-Herring is amazing, I had a really good celery bowl by Mathias Dahlgren.
Your biggest passion?
-Everything I do has to do with food, when I travel. eat well everything follow this red line with food. I love everything about it! And I would never travel to a place where they don’t have good food.
What inspires you to create new recipes?
-For the moment it is everyday things, normally the ideas are there right infront of you, you just have to be able to see them. Like here in Stockholm, when I looked at Globen I imagined a truffle with holes in it. I get new ideas all the time.
Your most memorable cooking experience?
-Bartolli invited me to the opera in Salzburg a few years ago, and then I cooked dishes that associated to Rossini. Our 100 years with restaurant Arzak was an amazing cooking experience!
Does your kids cook to?
-They have been cooking since they were 5 years old!
By Malin Nordblom
Selfie taken during Gastronomika in San Sebastian 2019
And I am so looking forward to visit restaurant Arzak as soon as it is possible!
Christian André Pettersen has been in the restaurant business since he was a little kid. He has worked for Charles Tjessem, Spiseriet at Stavanger’s Concert Hall and at restaurant Mondo in Sandnes. He has competed in Bocuse d’Or Europe and won, and got bronze in Bocuse d’Or 2019. He is competing again this year, and is going for gold. I asked Christian some questions when I meet him in Luxembourg:
Niklas Ekstedt started his career with an internship for Ferran Adria and Heston Blumenthal, and running restaurant ”Niklas” in Helsingborg at only 21 years old. A lot has happened since then, and he is today running the Michelin restaurant Ekstedt, Tygge & Sessil and restaurant Hillenberg. He has written several Cook Books, been having his own TV series like Food & Fire at Viaplay and he is the founder of Foodstoch Festival at Fjäderholmarna in Stockholm. I asked Niklas some questions:
Dani Garcia is without any doubt one of the most influential chefs in Spain and the world. 
Buhres at Kivik’s smoke master Jörgen Nordahl is a trained butcher. He has worked at Branteviks bykrog and at Scan in Tomelilla. I asked Jörgen some questions: 
Franciane Tartari came 3:rd in last years Pastry chef of the year competition in Sweden, she was head pastry chef for the Culinary Team of Luxembourg, she has won the International Sugar trophy and currently works as head pastry chef at the Castle Terrace restaurant in Edinburgh. I asked Franciane some questions: 
Martin Morand won the Nordic Pastry Cup together with Jessica Sandberg, he won Coupe Europe with the Swedish Pastry Team. 
Joakim Almqvist started his career as a dish washer at the monastery in Vadstena, Sweden. 
Viktor Westerlind became the Swedish Chef of the year 2009 and was a member of the Swedish Culinary Team that won the Culinary Cup in 2012. 
I met Michael Ade Elégbèdé when he was in Sweden to cook during Smaka på Stockholm. He has been growing up in the kitchen with his mum and grandmother who always been cooking lots of food and running restaurants. 
Daniel Berlin is running a 2 star restaurant in Skåne Tranås with his own name. 
I did an interview with Joakim Nilsson who is running Lund’s best bakery, Broder Jakobs. He has been working at Klostergatans Vin & Delikatess and at Grand Hotel in Lund before. 
I met Kajsa Åkerblom that has been working at several amazing places. On a boat, she had Glashuset at Värmdö, she opened up Torpedverkstan, she had restaurants and catering in Mexico and participated in and opened up Urban Deli. I asked her some questions. 
I met up with Danish Kamilla Seidler who started her career at Geist in Copenhagen as a student, and ended up as head chef. She has also been head chef at Gustu in La Paz, Bolivia. She has been awarded as the best female chef at Latin America’s 50 best restaurants. (Gustu came in 16th place)