Copy by: Liv Maren Mæhre Vold / DigiKo
Photos: Liv Maren Mæhre Vold / Tove Martens
RØROS: The best chefs in Norway naturally choose Røros as their starting point when they are searching for new tastes. It is an exciting quest that confirms the reputation of Røros, with its surrounding region, as local food capital.
The chefs of Fagn, a Trondheim restaurant recently awarded its first Michelin star, have come to Røros to meet local food producers, inspire local cooks and taste their way around the region. On the menu is speed dating with, among others, Stensaas (reindeer), Rørosmeieriet (dairy), Fjellurt (mountain herbs), Vingelen kjøtt (meat), Røros bryggeri (craft brewery), Dyrk mølle (barley mill) and Eggen gårdsysteri (cheese). The meeting is the brainchild of Røros municipality, Destination Røros and Røros Food Producers Association.
We have our own farmer in Sunndalsøra and talk to her every day. She makes whatever we want, and we meet in January to discuss our needs and wishes, Fagn’s head chef Jonas Nåvik tells us.
The restaurant is closed on Sundays and Mondays, so these top chefs are visiting Røros in their own time. In addition to a personal farmer, the restaurant employs someone solely to pick wild plants and mushrooms.
Local raw ingredients
We are the only place in Trondheim with such a broad selection, and that is qhat makes us so special, Nåvik believes.
Tasty samples – bread baked with barley from Dyrk Mill, a completely new cheese from Eggen, cured reindeer meat from Stensaas – are passed around the table. Orders for some of the foods are immediately placed by the Michelin star Trondheim restaurant, and the Fagn chefs are impressed by the local tastes and raw ingredients.
All of our guests are given bread to take home after a meal. It would be cool to use local flour in the loaves, says Julian Stavnbrekk and takes another satisfied sniff from the bread bag. Head chef Nåvik wholly agrees.
Playground
We must all work together if we want to be better. We are hoping to build new relationships and have already come across things here we have been looking for, for a long time. Now we are doing some testing, getting to know the producers and learning what the farmers do. We don’t want to be typecast – Fagn is our playground, he says – and throws a challenge to cheesemakers, Eggen, to cooperate on a special new cheese.
Sous chef Bendik has already put in an order for two cheeses which are not yet on the market.
Tomorrow’s handheld food
Local chefs from Røros have also shared cooking sessions with the Ørjaveita dream team, culminating in a dinner presenting what could well become tomorrow’s handheld food. Lamb taco inspired by traditional ‘Fårikål’, potato pancakes served with veal tartar, almond potato and wild garlic, reindeer glazed with whey, salt-baked beets, celery purée and a sauce of caramelised cream, cowberries and preserved mustard seeds. The sweet finale consisted of a mountain ash parfait with cloudberry bouillon and a ‘snow’ made from Røros yoghurt and soured cream.
One of the Røros chefs feeling greatly inspired after Fagn’s visit, is Jan Neklapil, head cook at Kaffestuggu.
I am really glad we have been able to spend so much time with these guys. Three whole days – two here in Røros plus a day course in Oslo with Jonas Nåvik. They’re a fantastic team! I’ve never seen anything like it, tells Neklapil, and insists that Fagn makes food preparation seems like a game.
They are very informal and have masses of energy and fun while they are working. It feels like being with rock stars! And it’s extra inspiring that they are using the local produce from Røros region that we use every day, but are managing to transform it into something simple, delicious yet completely new. I really hope I get the chance to work with them again, enthuses the head chef.
Competence boost
We need to stay on our toes if we are to maintain our position as the capital of local food. Food is, and should be, an experience. This has been a great opportunity to learn from Fagn while demonstrating the possibilities in this region, says the Director of Tourism Tove Martens.
In the long run, our aim is cooperation and a boost in competence that will benefit everyone involved, but right now we are searching for a signature handheld food which will define the Røros region.
We need something to replace the hot dog, insists Martens, and hopes to have a local alternative ready to offer at the Trøndelag food festival.
Important for the food region
Kristin Bendixvold of Røros Food Association says it is very important for the town, which is part of Trøndelag, to be able to boast two Michelin star restaurants in the neighbourhood.
It means a lot to us as a food region. It is significant that trendsetting enthusiasts like Fagn are prepared to set aside time to visit us and learn about us. The possibilities are great, not least that our regional products could end up on the tables at Fagn, she says. – Cooperation of this nature with a partner of such calibre is fabulous, and not least, a huge confirmation to our members that the food they produce is being appreciated.
