Mattias Åhman
Fröj, Vasa, Finland
Mattias Åhman, head chef and former Chef of the Year, do you do anything in particular to communicate Fröj’s philosophy to the guests?
– We have created a map featuring our local producers and an explanation of the idea behind the ingredients. This can be found on all our menus. We also make sure to communicate our focus on local collaborations to producers, in an efficient way.
Would you say your work has improved over the past year?
– We’re constantly striving for improvement! We’ve continued to work with whole animals and local producers. We’ve also been on the search for new ingredients, including local wines and ciders, and better ways to take care of them. A great improvement has been the recruitment of our new head chef, Jonathan Slotte (Editor’s note: Chef of the Year in 2022). This means we’re able to offer an even more exquisite, culinary journey for our guests, and as for myself, I’m able to focus more on finding new produce and collaborations.
Rumor has it that you’re expanding?
– Indeed. We opened a wine and salad bar this past Saturday, right next to FRÖJ. Sustainability is at the core of this concept. We use the same kitchen and, to a large extent, the same ingredients, which gives us even greater opportunities to make the most of the entire product!