His dish; cumin crispy pork from nearby Dompta Gård just north of Stockholm, awarded Robert Hedman, chef at Hufvudsta Gårds Nordic Ecolabelled restaurant, a place in this year’s Chef of the Year final. A record total of 143 chefs had sent in their menus to this year’s competition but only six will compete for the title.
“Congratulations!”
“Thank you, it feels great and is an acknowledgement of my cooking. This was the second time I made it to the semi-finals but it’s the first time I am in the final - there anything can happen!”
“What did your dish consist of?”
“I cooked cumin crispy pork served on a poached carrot, accompanied by a trumpet chanterelle filled dumpling alongside a sauerkraut seasoned sausage.”
“Will you compete with the same type of food in the final?”
“No but I haven’t had any time to think about what I will cook yet. The only thing I know about the final’s menu is that I must use two lamb roasts, one lamb sirloin and that the dish must consist of at least one dairy product apart from organic butter.”
“The restaurant at Hufvudsta Gård where you work carries the Nordic Ecolabel since January. How does it feel to work at a Nordic Ecolabelled restaurant?”
“Environmental issues are in fashion at the moment and naturally it feels great to work in a sustainable manner. We plan all our purchases very carefully. However, I do believe that it’s more sensible to buy locally-produced vegetables that aren’t organic rather than organic vegetables that are shipped here from for example New Zeeland.”
“Have you changed your methods or altered the menu at all since the restaurant fulfilled the Nordic Ecolabel requirements?”
“Not really, we have always used primarily locally-produced Swedish ingredients in our cooking here at Hufvudsta Gård. But I guess we tend to plan our purchases a bit more carefully nowadays. But my experience is that the entire restaurant trade and its chefs are role models regarding work methods with a low environmental impact. We have favored locally produced and organic food for a long time.”