Gastronomic Year 2014: Gastronord/Vinordic

Supplement from Stockholmsmässan

GASTRONOMIC YEAR 2014

GastroNord &Vinordic Stockholmsmässan 6-9 May 2014

European Chef Championship Bocuse d’Or 2014

“A strong will and a 200 % focus on the goal will be required.”

Bocuse d’Or is approaching for Tommy Myllymäki. Page 5

The international elite of chefs will gather for the first time in Sweden at Stockholmsmässan. Page 5

GASTRONOMIC WEEK 2014

Bocuse d’Or, GastroNord and Vinordic all during the same week. Page 4

Quality and origin increasingly important

Ingela Stenson on food trends for 2014. Page 6

gastronomicweek.se gastronord.se vinordic.se

leader gastronord & vinordic

Supplement from Stockholmsmässan

Welcome to Swedish Gastronomic year 2014 Bocuse d’Or comes to Sweden

The government’s vision of a major new gastronomic power is becoming reality and the major fairs GastroNord and Vinordic will be held during Gastronomic Week. Foreign visitors will spend SEK 19 billion in Swedish restaurants – more than three times as much as at the beginning of the millennium – and a new cook book will be published every day.

Yes, 2014 looks like being a truly historic year for the Swedish food and tourism industries. In the following pages we will explain why this is the case, and how Sweden’s pub owners, producers, restaurateurs, politicians and food and tourism managers can benefit from food year 2014.

Welcome!

Daniel Fritzdorf, Project Manager GastroNord/Vinordic.

HELLO,

Lisbeth Rauden, Editor-in-Chief at RS How can Sweden solve its shortage of labour within the restaurant industry?

“In order to encourage a new generation to start working and remain within the industry, it is important to give individual employees greater opportunities for influence and participation. Other important factors are continuous training in the workplace and exchanges with other workplaces, both within Sweden and abroad.”

How can Sweden become a major gastronomic power within Europe by 2020?

“In a number of ways. One important element is to continue to develop and market Swedish ingredients, using both traditional approaches and new technologies. The richness of flavours in our slow-growing crops offers a symphony of taste.

We should also network with relatively unfamiliar food nations and groups – why not with young female chefs from countries in North Africa, for instance?”

Gastro Sweden takes its place in the European competition The number of Michelin stars is increasing, food reports from Sweden are

more and more popular in the international press, and it is estimated that foreign tourists will spend almost SEK 40 billion on Swedish food in the next year.

“In 2011 the press value of all the articles written about Swedish food in the international press was estimated to have been worth MSEK 120. “Last year, that figure rose to MSEK 660,” explains Ami Hovstadius, Project Manager of “Sverige – det nya matlandet” (Sweden – the new food country) at Visit Sweden.

If these figures seem fantastic, they are even more incredible in light of the competition.

Around Europe – not just in the classic food nations – food tourism is a major target of investment.

“Virtually every country in Europe is working to strengthen its position as a food country. Even France and Italy are feeling the competition, which makes it even more pleasing that the posiAmi Hovstadius, tion of Sweden is getting Visit Sweden. stronger and stronger.

And next year, in the wake of Bocuse d’Or, the government’s work will be moving forward.

“Getting people to write about Swedish food is the first step – in 2014, we are investing even more in getting more people to travel here to enjoy the food.”

Text: Big Words Publishing Form: Newsfactory Media Group Cover picture: Anna Hållams

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GastroNord and Vinordic Stockholmsmässan 2014

Photo: Erik Olsson/VisitSweden

Sweden will be a major new gastronomic power in Europe in 2020 – that’s the government’s goal, which is ambitious, to say the least.

The vision:The new food country of Sweden • The initiative will create 20,000 new jobs in Sweden by 2020.

• The initiative involves development and growth throughout Sweden. One goal is for Sweden to become the best in Europe in food and drink.

• Restaurants are an important part of the initiative – but better school food and groceries and more exciting products and tourist experiences are also part of the vision.

Supplement from Stockholmsmässan

Food with a story

– now it’s time for regional dishes Proven family recipes, cold-pressed rapeseed oils and infinite varieties of apple juice – all around Sweden you can find fantastic produce and fascinating food stories. By collaborating even more with regional producers, Martin & Servera wants to highlight these unique products and allow the rest of the country to taste them.

A

s part of his work in charge of regional products at Martin & Servera, Per Idlund has seen a rapidly growing interest in regional food. Behind this interest, he believes, lies a desire to eat high-quality food, although there is also something else: Consumers want their meal to come with a story.

“The country’s regional products have stories worth telling. That’s perfect for today, when restaurant visitors are often interested in where the ingredients come from and how they are produced,” says Per. Growing fast Today there are some 80 producers and companies in Martin & Servera’s regional range. The producers are scattered all over Sweden and each region offers unique opportunities for food production.

“There’s cured meat prepared according to tried and tested family recipes, apple juice of different varieties, speciality cheeses, organic eggs and pure rapeseed oil, to name just a few great examples.”

But how does a small regional producer cooperate with a large nationwide restaurant wholesaler in order to create an exciting food culture throughout the country? Per explains about the importance of the quality of work.

“It’s a balancing act. Regional producers have to maintain a consistently high level of quality, despite

“The country’s regional products have stories worth telling.” their small-scale production. If we look at meat, for instance, it is important to have developed a range of meat in different quality grades, which is something we are not currently used to in Sweden.”

According to Per, work with regional producers is something new, but it’s growing fast.

“We learn something new every day. Our goal is to create baskets of goods in all parts of the country and to find producers who do everything from luxury goods to larger volumes for schools and municipalities.”

3 tips for restaurants Here is Per Idlund’s advice to restaurant owners wishing to invest in regional ingredients:

1. Be prepared for the fact that deliveries can take a little longer. Unlike the volume products of large-scale manufacturers, this type of product often needs ordering in advance.

2. Work more with the whole animal. A small producer cannot deliver simply fillets. They also need to sell the other cuts as well.

Martin & Servera is Sweden’s leading restaurant and catering specialist.

To find out more, visit www.martinservera.se

3. Work according to the season – not everything can be available all year round.

GastroNord & Vinordic in parallel with Bocuse d’Or 2014

Supplement from Stockholmsmässan

Bocuse d’Or Europe 2012 Adam Dahlberg takes the silver in Brussels.

Facts: GastroNord

• GastroNord will be held at Stockholmsmässan between 6 and 9 May 2014.

Photo: Göran Wink

• Last year the fair had 421 exhibitors and 20,519 visitors.

• GastroNord visitors mainly visited the fair to

meet current suppliers, to find new products and to get fresh ideas.

A gastronomic week not to be missed

Gastronomic Week

In May next year it will be time for Gastronomic Week, including the European cooking championships and northern Europe’s largest trade fairs for food and drink, GastroNord and Vinordic. if you work in the industry, a visit to

Stockholmsmässan plus Bocuse d’Or Europe, GastroNord and Vinordic is a must. Numerous seminars, tastings, competitions and other activities are planned for the fairs, which for the very first time will be held in the same hall.

“We have extended our large hall by 10,000 square metres, so we can now hold the fairs side by side,” says project supervisor Daniel Fritzdorf.

On the drinks side, Vinordic, you can

browse among theme bars where exhibitors are gathered around a specific drink.

For exhibitors, this is a chance to showcase products simply and effectively outside their own stand.

“Rosé, champagne, beer, whisky and cocktails are examples of drinks assigned their own bar staffed with knowledgeable personnel.

A bar for non-alcoholic options, which have seen substantially increased interest, is also planned.

On the food side, GastroNord, you can visit exhibitors and book a table at the Årets Kock

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GastroNord and Vinordic Stockholmsmässan 2014

(Chef of the Year) restaurant, where dishes will be created by former Årets Kock winners.

“But there won’t be just top chefs at the fairs – the whole industry will be there. That means there will be opportunities to meet new suppliers, go to seminars or discover new products and services,” says Daniel.

Both fairs are organised in line with the motto that time and knowledge are money.

Visitors can set up meetings with exhibitors and customers using the so-called Matchmeeting system in specific meeting rooms. In addition, the doors to the Vinordic school will be open so visitors can learn about different drinks with the aim of increasing profitability.

Having said that, we don’t want to lose focus on what lies at the root of everything: the love of flavours.

Facts: Vinordic

• Vinordic will be held at Stockholmsmässan between 6 and 9 May 2014.

• Last year the fair had 74 exhibitors and 8,776 visitors.

For more information, visit www.gastronomicweek.se

• 9 out of 10 visitors to Vinordic 2012 said

they would definitely or probably return in 2014.

Bocuse d’Or to Sweden

Supplement from Stockholmsmässan

Tommy Myllymäki and his commis Albin Edberg.

Only once has Sweden won the gold medal in the Bocuse d’Or world championship held every two years in Lyon – that was Mathias Dahlgren in 1997.

“The rules are certainly demanding, but so they should be in the world’s toughest cooking competition.”

… Mathias Dahlgren, Bocuse d’Or winner and Bocuse d’Or Europe 2014 jury member Are the rules for Bocuse d’Or especially tough?

“Yes, being able to deliver that number of dishes of maximum quality in such a short time is a huge challenge – but then the rules should be demanding in the world’s toughest cooking competition.”

What is most difficult when assessing food?

“Maintaining a professional focus on the food and craftsmanship behind the food when eating so many dishes at a fast pace.”

Bocuse d’Or – organiser’s comments

In May 2014 the international elite of chefs will gather for Bocuse d’Or Europe, the continental finals of the worldwide cooking competition. This is the first time the competition has been held in Sweden.

“Sweden is the ideal place for Bocuse d’Or. There is incredible energy surrounding gastronomy there,” says competition organiser Florent Suplisson.

Bringing home the trophy from Bocuse

… Adam Dahlberg, Sweden’s representative at Bocuse d’Or 2013: How did it feel to be Sweden’s representative at Bocuse d’Or? “It felt great to have been given such a prestigious task and extreme challenge. It was something that I always really wanted to expose myself to and experience at some point in my life.”

What is most difficult about competitive cooking?

“At Bocuse d’Or, so many different factors need to work out.The food needs to be newsworthy, and it must also appeal to chefs from all over the world.The dishes need to be moved around on silver platters, then transferred to a plate and still be at least reasonably warm when eaten. But the most difficult thing is probably that the food needs to be better than everyone else’s…”

d’Or is one of the most prestigious things a chef can achieve. Now the competition is finally coming to Sweden – and it is being organised in conjunction with GastroNord and Vinordic between 7 and 8 May. “Bocuse d’Or is like nothing you have ever experienced. The very best from twenty European countries compose the most exciting dishes available, as they are cheered on by an audience of thousands – it all creates a unique atmosphere,” says Florent Suplisson.

Sweden’s representative at Bocuse d’Or Europe is Tommy Myllymäki. Myllymäki also competed in the world cooking championships in 2011, winning the silver medal.

“I am impressed by Tommy. He has stood on our podium before and knows the demands it makes of his career and private life – yet he opts to try again. He is also competing at home, so he’s probably the competitor

“I am really impressed by Tommy. He has stood on our podium before and knows the demands it makes of his career and private life – yet he opts to try again,” says Florent Suplisson.

under the most pressure.”

If you ask Tommy himself what is required to win Bocuse d’Or Europe 2014, he would answer without hesitation: “A strong will and a 200 per cent focus on the goal.”

GastroNord and Vinordic Stockholmsmässan 2014

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