A festival of flavors - Niklas Ekstedt's new endeavor
Publish date: 10 January 2022
The world’s best chefs and the top restaurants in town are cooking up a storm in the Stockholm archipelago. Internationally renowned restaurateur Niklas Ekstedt is the master chef- and mind behind Foodstock, a gastronomic festival celebrating the best of Scandinavian cuisine.
With very hands-on experiences from several of the best restaurant kitchens in the world, such as el Bulli and The Fat Duck, the Swedish Michelin star chef Niklas Ekstedt knows a thing or two about trends, traditions, and tastes in the culinary world.
Visit Stockholm meets up with him in his restaurant Ekstedt in Stockholm, known for creating exciting cuisine without the use of electricity and exploring innovative age-old techniques.
– Foodstock is my way of repaying the courtesy and hospitality my colleagues and I have experienced when visiting other chefs abroad. I invited some of the best there is, to discover more of the Nordic cuisine and to show off the Archipelago. Then it struck me that everyone should be able to taste the results of their visit.
A festival for everyone
Foodstock, thus named as a homage to the 50th anniversary of Woodstock this year, takes place on the island of Fjäderholmarna, within spitting distance from the city center. The festival honors the traditions and techniques used here in the north as well as highlighting food culture and creativity from other countries. Foodies, gourmands and the otherwise culinary curious can look forward to tasting food from prestigious restaurants. Skåne, Tranås awarded with two Michelin stars; Brat, currently one of the best places in London to eat and the top Turkish restaurant Mikla, named one of the worlds 50 best restaurants.
– Stockholm has great potential as a gastronomic destination for visitors with a genuine interest in food. There are so many fresh and exciting restaurants here, from Agrikultur to Gastrologik, not to mention restaurant Frantzén with its three Michelin stars. In addition, the city has so many great classics such as Pelikan, Sturehof, and Prinsen that combines tradition with a local feel.
Two chefs, one menu
Restaurant Ekstedt has as many as 70, 80 percent international guests each night. Many come from Germany, Austria or Great Britain to try open-fire fine dining from. There’s a more local mix of people at Niklas Ekstedt’s sister restaurant Hillenberg, just across the road.
– Many famous food-orientated cities such as San Sebastian and Lyon can sadly be somewhat crowded, Stockholm has the advantage point of being much less so. Stockholm is also easy and fun to reach by train not to mention that the exchange rate is favorable for visitors.
The famous chef himself is usually the big draw at Ekstedt; he is, for example, gracing the cover of the German cooking magazine Rolling Pin this month and is known for his TV-shows both internationally and in Sweden. One of these shows takes its concept of the Four Hands Menu to Foodstock.
– The Four Hands Menu is one of the highlights at the festival for sure; one Nordic representative pairs up with an international chef to create a menu with Nordic roots but with new, innovative ideas. Foodstock has something for everyone though, there will be Satellite- kitchens from some of Stockholm’s best restaurants for all to try. If you don’t want to sit down to a set lunch or dinner there is a Bistro market and also an artisans-fair to check out. Everyone is welcome and in for a treat.