Jesper Blomqvist is the celebrated Football pro that today is one of the owners to one of Sweden’s best pizza restaurants, 450 Gradi. And lucky me, it is located at the island where I live!
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Gustaf Mabrouk, the World’s Best Pastry Chef
Gustaf Mabrouk is an outstanding chocolate maker and pastry chef. Last year he was awared as the World’s Best Pastry Chef by the International Bakery and Pastry Union (UIBC). He has also been leading the Swedish Pastry Team, he was the youngest Pastry Chef in Sweden to win the Pastry chef of the year when he was 19, he came at 3rd place inCoupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie 2014 and much more. You could say that he has some experince… His book The Chocolate Makers Hand Book is a beautiful and must have for all Chocolate lovers! (I actually gave mine away, need to get a new one!) I made a short interview with Gustaf:
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Karim Rezaul
Karim Rezaul has been awarded the ”Special recognition award” by the British curry awards in London for his knowledge and development of the Indian kitchen. He is the only non British person to have been awarded this! He actually won his first British Curry Award in 2010, ”Curry life award of excellence” , at that time it was for his spice mixtures. In Sweden he has been awarded with the Golden Dragon award twice!
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Joan Roca
Joan Roca opened up the three Michelin starred restaurant El Celler de Can Roca in 1986 with his brothers Josep and Jordi. In 2007 they changed location of the restaurant. Today they have their three stars and has been ranked as the number one restaurant in the world several times! And still Joan is a humble chef, that has easy to laugh. I meet Joan in San Sebastian Gastronomika in Spanien, and asked him some questions.
How is it to work with your brothers?
-It’s actually working really well! We really know and trust each other, so it works really great to run the restaurant together. If it didn’t, then we should just quit!
You have started to use more local herbs and flowers at the restaurant with the help of a botanist, has this changed the way you cook the last years?
-Our grand mother always used different kinds of flowers and herbs as we lived in the country side. But as we live in a city we have to learn. We started to learn for about 5 years ago, and we wan’t to make sure the knowledge about how to use flowers and herbs doesn’t disappear.We also work together with a researcher who helps us understand how we can use them in different ways.
Any new things coming up from the Roca family?
-The family has bought a building in Girona were we just opened up a chocolate factory and a hotel with 15 rooms. You will be able to buy the chocolate online to.But there will be no more hotels or chocolate factory’s, just like no more restaurants. Only one of everything!
What is the most important thing for you when you travel?
-To eat a lot’s of different food, to talk with the chefs and to visit food markets.
Have you ever been to Sweden?
-A very long time ago. You have many great chefs like Björn Frantzen, so I would love to visit again.
People travel less today because of it’s impact on the climate. How can we experience food from other culture’s without traveling as much.
-In the past you didn’t travel, you got hold of seeds from different countries. We have a lot of seeds from different countries at the restaurant. We plant, and see which ones that works in our climate. We need to come back to travel through the seeds, and not through products.
By Malin Nordblom
The hotel Casa Cacao and the chocolate factory just opened in Girona, Spain. And I would love to visit as it has everything I love there! If you visit, send me a shot!
The interview was done during San Sebastian Gastronomika where Joan Roca held a lecture and cooked up on stage.
It was first published at http://www.gourmet.se in Swedish.
Christian André Pettersen
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
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:
Kevin Cherkas
This native Canadian is one of the most influential chefs in Indonesia today, and he is running one of the best restaurants! He graduated with a Degree in Culinary Arts back home in Canada. Kevin has worked at some amazing places like the three-star restaurants Arzak and El Bulli in Spain, the two-star restaurant La Broche in Madrid, three-star restaurant Daniel in New York City, Shangri-La in both Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. Kevin opened up restaurant Cuca in Jimbaran, Bali in 2013 and since then he has attracted guests from all over the world. When I first met Kevin I was covering Gastronomika in San Sebastián, Spain. Kevin was the most charismatic chef up there at stage, people could really feel and taste what he was talking about. I understand why people all over the world wants him to come and speak about his passion, food! So when visiting Bali I had a trip to his restaurant Cuca at my program and asked Kevin some questions. (And you will find out more about the restaurant in another post!) I had a chat with Kevin before the meal:
Sau del Rosario
I meet Roasauro ”Sau” del Rosario at the big food fair San Sebastián Gastronomika in Spain. Sau grew up in the food region Pampanga in the Philippines in a family of chefs spanning four generations back! Läs mer
Dani Garcia
Dani Garcia is without any doubt one of the most influential chefs in Spain and the world. Läs mer
Sebastian Pettersson
Sebastian is one of the team members of the Swedish Culinary Team that just competed in Stuttgart and got a silver medal! Here is a short interview with Sebastian:
How come you decided to be a pastry chef?
– I have always been interested of music, and been very much into that. And I wanted to learn something new during my gymnasie years, so I choose to learn this.
Most fun with working and competing with this?
– To be able to work with something that is my biggest passion.
What are you most proud of?
– The gold we won in 2018 during the Culinary Olympics.
Your favorite food country?
– Denmark.
What inspires you?
– Other passionate chefs/pastry chefs Andra drivna kockar/konditorer i branschen.
What is the best to serve someone you like?
– Freshly made ice cream.
The most important kitchen gadget?
– The scale.
Can you share a food memory with us?
– A fantastic dinner in the Frech country side with locally produced food and wines. Magical!
Who has been the biggest inspiration for you?
– Fredrik Borgskog without any doubt.
What do you do in 5 years time?
– I would like to run a restaurant with chefs from the Culinary Team.
By Malin Nordblom
The interview was first published at http://www.gourmet.se in Swedish.
Jörgen Nordahl
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: Läs mer
Franciane Tartari
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: Läs mer
Marion Ringborg
Marion Ringborg used to work at Spring and Lyle’s in London, she is running the pop up restaurant Garba with Linn Söderström. She is seen in the Chef’s Competition at the Swedish television right now. I asked Marion some questions: Läs mer
Martin Morand, Swedish Pastry Chef
Martin Morand won the Nordic Pastry Cup together with Jessica Sandberg, he won Coupe Europe with the Swedish Pastry Team. Läs mer
Joakim Almqvist, Swedish Chef, Angler and Entrepreneur
Joakim Almqvist started his career as a dish washer at the monastery in Vadstena, Sweden. Läs mer
Viktor Westerlind
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. Läs mer
Chef Michael Ade Elégbèdé from Nigeria
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. Läs mer
Daniel Berlin
Daniel Berlin is running a 2 star restaurant in Skåne Tranås with his own name.
He worked at a few other restaurants before he started his own place, Gastro in Helsingborg, Petri Pumpa and Torso Twisted in Malmö. I asked him some questions:
Do you prefer vegetarian food, meat or fish?
– Vegetarian. Running a restaurant I feel responsible to get people to eat more vegetables.
What are you most proud of?
– Without any doubt that I opened up this restaurant.
Is there any food you don’t like?
– I do not eat too spicy food, but that depends on situation. And I don’t like food that doesn’t fit in at the moment, and if you’re at a nicer restaurant it’s important that the food goes with the restaurant. It should be a total experience of food and place.
Do you use cookbooks?
– I don’t use them but I look in them.
Your favourite food country?
– France.
Could you tell us the best food experience you ever had?
– My first visit to Noma in 2007 was the first big food experience I ever had.
What gives you inspiration?
– Tomas Dreinjing (atPetri Pumpa in Malmö) inspired me a lot. But everyone that works at the restaurant, my family, life, well everything that’s around me actually inspires me.
Your favourite kitchen gadget?
– That must be my tasting spoons. I am tasting so much different food and I cannot live without them.
What would you like to learn to cook?
– I would like to cook seafood better.
Do you have any good story from the restaurant?
– Sometimes we get a power cut in the winter. And then we all wear headlamps at the restaurant, and all the guest are gathering around the fire. It’s a fantastic experience and totally different to anything else.
Interview and photo by Malin Nordblom
The interview was first published in Swedish at https://gourmet.se/gourmets-snabba-fragor/daniel-berlin/
Text and photo Malin Nordblom
Fab Foodie Swede
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Joakim Nilsson
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. Läs mer
Kajsa Åkerblom
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. Läs mer
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)