Interview: Léa Marion, 360°Young Chef winner

What’s your story? When did you start out as a chef?

I am a young French chef, who moved to Sweden almost 3 years ago. During my studies of “culinary arts” in the south of France, I did two internships in Stockholm. It was an amazing experience, which made me realize that fine dining restaurants could be sustainable and work with a soft management. So, after the first experience as a chef in France, I got a job offer at Gastrologik and finally moved to Stockholm permanently.

Describe your position/role at Oaxen Krog today 

I have been working at Oaxen Krog for one and a half years now. After spending a few months in the snacks section, I am currently part of the hot section and responsible for the garnishing station. At this station, I have the chance to work a lot with the fresh vegetables and herbs that we grow on Oaxen farm.

Tell us about your focus or mission as a chef

As a chef, I want to focus on the experience we create and deliver every night to our guests; cooking with passion and curiosity to always highlight the best of the season’s products. I believe that my mission as a chef is also to show the value of simple ingredients, such as vegetables or wild herbs, which can be used in many ways and bring a lot of flavor into a dish.

Tell us, when it comes to sustainable considerations, how you want to work as a chef.

As a chef, I think we have to protect and take care of the environment, by using local and natural ingredients first, but also by trying to minimize the impact we have on nature. Reducing our ecological footprint and working in a more sustainable way is, for me, an everyday challenge — if we want to continue cooking with the great products we get offered by nature.

Sustainability can take on many aspects in the kitchen, from making compost out of organic waste or using less plastic containers to growing organic vegetables or upcycling leftover bread or yogurt whey. Promoting a good atmosphere in the kitchen and making sure everybody feels good at work is also very important for me when it comes to the social part of sustainability.