Magnus Nilsson to collect the White Guide award
The Fäviken chef is chosen for the 2015 ‘Nobel of gastronomy’, in part for his innovative use of microbiology
When we first published Fäviken in 2012, the food world delighted in head chef Magnus Nilsson's remarkable approach to sourcing and cooking ingredients within the immediate vicinity of his remote restaurant in central Sweden.
However, Nilsson’s use of natural preservatives and traditional, microbiological techniques is equally impressive. He uses picking, drying, pasteurisation, fermentation and other, less familiar preservative techniques – such as clamping – to eke out his local produce, enabling him to create a varied menu during the region’s long winter months.
It’s this innovative, microbial approach to gastronomy that won over the jury judging the White Guide Global Gastronomy Prize of 2015. They chose to award Nilsson with their annual prize – sometimes described Nobel of gastronomy – for his on-going work at Fäviken. In their citation, they said they decided to award to prize to Nilsson for “_having developed a truly unique and personal gastronomy, gleaming as a Northern light far and beyond, extracting the innermost secrets of his local woods, fields and waters, with the deepest understanding of his terroirs, their potential and margins of sustainability, with the doorway ajar to the parallel universe of microbiology, all delivered in a stunning restaurant culture bridging history and future, local with global, science with art – seasoned with poetry and humour._”
We would like to congratulate Nilsson, and we look forward to the Stockholm pop-up venue, overseen by the White Guide in association with the chef – on March 9, to coincide with the White Guide Gala and awards ceremony, which will be held at the city’s Grand Hotel.
For greater insight into Nilsson’s approach and technique, including advice on preserving crops by a copy of Fäviken; and check back soon for news of our forthcoming title with the chef, The Nordic Cookbook, an unprecedented look at the rich cultural offerings of this northern European region.