2024, another year comes to an end.

 

Nepo Kitchen consulting

 

 

 

well packaged Three Friends abalone Exclusivily gift packed to make an impression. Three Friends abalone from Stanley NW Tasmania

January & February

A bit of a trip down to Tasmania.

Back hands on during early January helping a couple of friends with some big catering projects. These kinds of large operations when the guests count in the thousands and the logistics and transport challenges are so important help keep your feet on the ground, it also makes you realise how important teamwork is in the kitchen.

After starting the year in my whites it was of to Tasmania, a quick overnight stop in Dubai on the way dropping of a suitcase full of prime Swedish produce looking for import opportunities into the U.A.E before the onward flight.

During our Tasmanian visit we travelled around and looked at some of the local producers we visited Three Friends Abalone in Stanley, Tasmania’s far northwest. Stanley is also home port to the rough and rugged fishing waters of the north-western corner and the west coast of Tasmania; the fishing waters are smack in the middle of the roaring forties here rough and rugged is the norm. These cold southern waters produce some of Australia’s absolute best seafood including rock lobster, abalone, sea urchins, octopus. Further west is the home of Cape Grim beef, grass fed Angus sold through-out the world. And of course, our southern rock lobster. A fantastic product from our cold clean water.

https://threefriendsabalone.com.au/

We also visited Tasmanian Quality Meat in Cressey and their Lamb of Tasmania operation, a giant among Tasmania’s meat processing plants and the only sheep abattoir on the island.

Further down south we detoured through the Coal valley recognised as one of Tasmania's prime wine regions with many acclaimed cellars and the historic town of Richmond with its colonial buildings, shops, history and tourists.

Then on to Hobart, they’ve fixed it up! The downtown area looks smart it’s become Australia’s trendiest most southern capital city. I really like Hobart especially around the waterfront, I believe the waterfront areas always give an indication on how well a town or city is faring and Hobart is happening.

We moved further up the East coast, enjoying some great summer weather, but be careful of the sun if you’re new to Tasmania. We stopped at Little Swanport to look at the Tasman Sea Salt factory one of many locally produced “gourmet” products.

We ate at the Waterloo in Swansea, a motel stuck in a 1970’s time warp with Jimmy Hendrix and Procul Harum blasting from the speakers, the Waterloo is your designer stylist’s nightmare, all except for the food, the Waterloo was easily the best we ate in Tasmania, fantastic. Kudos to the chef.

Further north to Freycinet national park and wine glass bay, scenery in world class. Just around the corner is Coles Bay and Bicheno, surf beaches and vineyards dot the east coast, hidden gems at every turn and idyllic seaside towns the kinds of places one wants to buy into on your first impression before returning to Europe.

 

Ross bridge Richmond Bridge, a convict built sandstone bridge completed in 1825. Australias oldest continuously in use bridge
decorative street sign, Cressy Tasmania Street sign in Cressy, pointing to the fishing lakes on Tasmania's central plateau

March

TUI preperation & on to Turkey

Spending March working from home and preparing for the upcoming TUI F&B training conference in Saregerme Turkey, again I’ll be the leading chef in April we will be hosting the training for both the TUI Suneo and TUI Holiday village executive chefs and F&B managers.

April

Sarigerme, Turkey

Two weeks back in Sarigerme on the Turkish Mediterranean coast. F&B conference with 40 plus conference delegates split into two groups, these intensive training courses with tough practical hands-on session work is no mean feat, especially for the delegates thrown in at the deep end and suddenly being back hands on. Thanks to all the participants, co-trainers and of course the generosity and our hosts and their employees. Successful training cannot be reached without the positive input of everyone involved.

inspection TUI, F&B training Sarigerme Turkey Reacting to and giving constructive feed back to the chefs efforts at the TUI F&B congress
food presentation TUI F&B congress Sarigerme 2024 The presentation table at the F&B congress, each session produced 40-60 induvidual dishes

May

Cape Verde & Bulgaria

My first hands on trip for the season was to Cape Verde. A long trip flying into the island of Sal, we were just outside the main city of Santa Maria in the middle of the tourist area. Even though Cape Verde is a part of Africa it felt more like the Canary Islands kind of a soft African introduction. Cape Verde is not an easy place to work as a decision-making executive chef with logistical and delivery challenges every day, these challenges heightened by the lack of local produce makes menu planning a constant flexible puzzle. Good staff being another issue, and if you don’t speak Portuguese there’s also the language barrier thrown in as an extra. For the visitor’s great weather and sunsets make this a popular European tourist destination.

At the end of May I was off to Bulgaria, south of Burgas to Pearl Beach for a couple of days a big hotel seaside resort full of Europeans enjoying the early seasonal strawberries and warm weather. Every country thinks they have the best strawberries, but the Bulgarian strawberries can match anything I’ve tasted. A trip north to Sunny Beach and another hotel, Sunny Beach is a bit more financial and modern this is reflected in the design, amenities and volume of tourists, even though the end of May is still early in the season many shops and restaurants are only just waking to life, these holiday destinations always seem a little desolate before the masses arrive.

sundown on the beach, Cape Verde Sundowner time at the beach bar, Cape Verde
early morning Perl Beach Bulgaria Pearl Beach, Bulgaria early mirning view before the rush

June

Canary Island

In June I was down south again, to the Canary Islands this time visiting Hotels on both Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, visiting the popular seaside towns of Costa Teguise and Costa Calma. During my working visits to these destinations, I don’t get to see much more than airports, transfers and the hotel kitchens I’m working in. I find it more rewarding meeting the local dedicated teams, hardworking likeminded cooks and chefs doing their best to meet our guest expectations within their budgets & staffing limitations than visiting these holiday destinations, then of course there’s the extra bonus of having to spar with somebody like me with lots of opinions. I like to feel when the chemistry works during these visits, and we can mutually agree on changes and improvements.

veiw from hotel room at Drago Park, Fuerteventura Fuerteventura, Costa Calma, lush gardens on the inside and almost dessert on the outside
volcanic garden Lanzarote Lanzarote garden with it's iconic black volcanic gravel/sand

July-August

Rhodes and Norway

After a short Holiday at home, I was off to Rhodos, the seaside destination of Faliraki, Faliraki is one of many early European charter trip destinations still going strong. Faliraki features great beaches and local taverns serving local food. If you’re lucky enough to visit such a tavern with a local who orders off the menu everything, he/she thinks you should try then you’re in for a great treat. Greek food has long and rich traditions, as well as being tasty and well suited to the climate.

In the middle of June, I was off to Norway for work, this was the third time I’d taken a consultancy there this time in Voss, a smaller city with a strong winter season and a thriving adventure summer destination, drawing active entrepreneurs to the region and creating job opportunities to keep young locals in the area is super smart.

I was working at Store Ringheim Hotel & Restaurant a boutique hotel with 15 unique and traditional rooms in combination with restored existing farmstead buildings, a tool shed, an old barn a dairy all buildings reflecting the 300-year-old rustic farm heritage.

The restaurant at Store Ringheim in the old dairy where the milk cows used to be, restaurant featured both an al fresco and a glassed in “greenhouse” options as well a more traditional appointed in-house dining room.

The restaurant features predominantly local sustainable food which in turn is a traditional necessity, living off the land. Here at Store Ringheim we exemplify this modern reflection on our menu featuring local trout, wild mushrooms, home-made charcuterie, berries, flowers, herbs and vegetables from the garden these products were the backbone of our menu. The home-made charcuterie is well made the air-dried hams, coppa, bacon and game products are serious achievements, from a kitchen planning viewpoint the charcuterie production planned and produced over the yearly availability and hunting seasons is a cultural reflection seldom seen.

It might look like a Sheep’s head, but it represents more, it represents tradition and a celebration of past times that our forefathers lived with. Not many modern aspiring restaurants would prepare cook and serve such a dish today. Store Ringheim have a focus on reaping, harvesting, foraging and taking care of local the local traditions and produce. The sheep’s head is not on the menu, but the locals know it’s available and can pre order, if desired.

Apart from these trips working abroad my year has been dotted with extra work, working locally within my network as I call it. Nowadays with modern technology it’s easy to network and keep communication lines open to many likeminded friends and work colleagues, like many others my age I’ve probably lost contact with more colleagues that I’d like to keep contact with than I have contact with, I always encourage younger chefs to be more active with networking it opens more options, and many of those options tend not to be work orientated.

One such contact resulted in an informative visit to Högtorps Gård, a gourmet treasure trove the 70+ hectare bio diversified forest farm which is situated in a rural Sörmland ca. one and a half hours drive south of Stockholm. Högtorps Gård create new and reinvent long forgotten delights to heighten even the most ambitious Michelin starred restaurant menus in Sweden.

https://hogtorp.se/

traditional sheeps head It might look like a Sheep’s head, but it represents more, it represents tradition and a celebration of past times that our forefathers lived with.
Norlands gold Locally picked cloudberries, the ultimate forest gold in Scandinavia

September

Yrkesdörren

Another project I’ve been working with is Yrkesdörren a job interview coaching program, assisting and tipping migrant workers in Sweden on how to present themselves to prospective employers, which questions are relative and generally advising them what the employers want to hear. The program is geared to one’s own background and experience, so all my sessions have been with people wanting to get into our local hotel and restaurant industry, generally they’re a one-hour voluntary session, it seems so little to give back some of my own time to our industry.

October

London, Fuerteventura, Cape Verde

October was a travelling month it started with a quick long weekend in London a kind of work reunion, 40 years have passed since I worked there, a group of reminiscing old guys each with a strong band to a common  invincibility that we had as young and ambitious chefs bought us back together. We caught up on how our individual employment at London’s Savoy Hotel impregnated our careers, great to catch up and fantastic that our memories are still so strong and vivid. Hope we don't have to wait another 40 years.

Then back to work with TUI down to Fuerteventura a return visit to Costa Calma a fantastic return visit with an energetic crew, we made lots of detail changes, it’s all about the details and logistics. We changed some of the details a little and created together a new product and even surprised ourselves a little.

Then a quick turnaround back in Stockholm and back to Cape Verde, back to the same hotel again the hotel had a few more months experience under their belt since my earlier visit, a new management team and executive chef as well, together we made many detail changes to their ongoing operation which resulted in a quick positive guest reaction.

tredional cooking method cous cous, cape Verde Traditional couc cous cooking in Cape Verde, a can and a flower pot, served turned out in the flower pot form, both natural and chocolate flavoured were prepared
main beach Santa Maria, Cape Verde Main beach at Santa Maria, Sal, Cape Verde

November

Swiss cheese

Early November found me back at the Stockholm Food, Wine & Chocolate trade fair and for the fourth year back again at the Swiss cheese booth. This year we featured four cheeses, the fair lasts three days and we were constantly under an intensive barrage of visitors, luckily the following four cheeses are so well respected that they sell themselves. After 3 days it was sold out again.

Le Gruyère AOP Réserve. Made from raw cow's milk, typically from the alpine pastures in the Gruyère region. The cheese is aged in cellars for 10–18 months, sometimes longer for the Réserve version. The long aging process and the gradual development of the rind are also key factors in its rich taste.

Appenzeller Black Label. Made from raw cow's milk sourced from cows that graze in the Appenzell region, where the milk is influenced by the region's mountain pastures. The milk used is typically unpasteurized, giving the cheese its distinct flavour. Appenzeller Black Label is aged for 6–12 months, but it can be aged longer. During the aging process, it is regularly brushed or rubbed with a herbal brine made of wine, cider, or other local ingredients. This herbal bath gives Appenzeller its distinct aromatic and slightly spicy flavour.

Fribourgeois AOP Rustic. Made from raw cow’s milk. The milk is sourced from alpine pastures. Vacherin Fribourgeois Rustic is aged for 4–6 months. The aging process is crucial in developing its creamy texture and mild, slightly tangy flavour. Rustic versions of this cheese may have a thicker rind and a slightly more pronounced taste than standard varieties. Vacherin Fribourgeois is known for its soft, creamy, and smooth texture. It is traditionally used in Swiss fondue.

Tête de Moine AOP. Made from raw cow’s milk. The milk is typically sourced from the Jura region and is influenced by the local pasture conditions. Tête de Moine is aged for 3–6 months. During the aging process, the cheese develops its characteristic creamy texture and mild, slightly tangy flavour.

Tête de Moine is traditionally shaped into a cylindrical form with a flat top and bottom. It is shaved into thin rosettes using a special tool called a girolle, which helps to release the aromatic flavours and gives the cheese its signature presentation.

Tete de Moine presentation Tête de Moine presentation at the Stockholm food, wine and chocolate trade fair

December

The Swedish Christmas smorgasboard

From the middle of November through December it’s all Christmas, working at “Gamla Riksarkivet” here in Stockholm, a rolling Swedish Christmas smorgasbord buffet well presented in an exclusive environment. 4 sittings a day ca. 35000 guests for the season. a tough agenda, I try and keep my involvement manageable limiting my workload to reality. Proud to be part of the team, well managed and quality, it’s easy to realise why it’s become a Stockholm favourite.

Stockholm tends to be no such a weather friendly destination during December, even though the city seems full of tourists, if you’re properly dressed a little cold weather isn’t so bad. Stockholm turns it on this time of the year with a lots of Christmas lights and Christmas markets. Many restaurants offer the festive Swedish Christmas smorgasbord, a mealtime with some rules and a cultural indulgence, for the first time diner some background information regarding its history and importance within traditional Swedish cuisine is needed.

The Nobel prizes are presented on December 10th followed by a banquet for 1300 guests at the City Hall, a banquet through the years which has featured cutting edge kitchen technology, thinkers, producers and chefs all hitting above their mark for a one-day world class presentation.

Stockholms statshus during Nobel week 2024 Stockholm city hall turns it on with a fantastic light show during the Nobel prize week.
second course riksarkiv The second course on the Swedish Christmas smorgasbord at Gamla Riksarkiv

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For Nepo kitchen consulting 2024 rolls to a close as 2025 starts up.

 

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