Reykjavík Grapevine - 01.09.2023, Page 29

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LA PRIMAVERA — EST 1993
WE COMBINE FOOD TRADITION
FROM NORTHERN ITALY WITH
PREMIUM ICELANDIC INGREDIENTS
THE MARSHALL HOUSE
GRANDAGARÐUR 20, 101 REYKJAVÍK
RESERVATIONS: +354 519 7766
MARSHALL@LAPRIMAVERA.IS
HARPA
AUSTURBAKKI 2, 101 REYKJAVÍK
RESERVATIONS: +354 519 9700
HARPA@LAPRIMAVERA.IS
REYKJAVÍK GRAPEVINE
BEST FOODHALL
“...it is precisely its size and careful
curation of cuisines on offer that
underlines its cool-beyond-trends vibe.”
– Reykjavík Grapevine
land) focuses on showcasing
Icelandic businesses abroad,
Ferðamálastofa (The Icelan-
dic Tourism Board) focuses on
marketing Iceland as a desirable
destination abroad. Neither of
these focus on the importance
of the restaurant industry on the
spending habits of tourists, or
on tourists choosing Iceland as
a dining destination. PR teams
of journalists occasionally arrive
here, often sponsored by Icelan-
dair, and sporadic mentions of
local restaurants make an appear-
ance in international outlets. But
a concerted, committed effort to
foster homegrown champions
and focus on the creative ways
chefs and purveyors are pushing
boundaries is sorely amiss.
Given the enthusiastic news
coverage and tweet-inducing
interest when Turku, Finland,
played host to the Michelin Guide
Nordic Countries announcement
on June 12, Reykjavik seems ab-
solutely buoyant about its own
potential as a culinary leader.
However, it needs to be supported
by a clear action plan that doesn’t
solely rest on an effective PR cam-
paign with no real infrastructural
overhaul.
The 2022 Nordic Ministers re-
port outlined the challenges they
found – an absence of strategic
planning for the role of food in
tourism and glaringly limited
food tourism service when com-
pared to our Nordic neighbours.
The report further elaborated on
a possible action plan calling out
the rigidity and lack of flexibility
by the government, and a reluc-
tance to adapt to changing expec-
tations of the industry.
Bringing the likes of SVEIT
(association of restaurant own-
ers), Business Iceland, the Icelan-
dic Tourism Board, food writers
and PR agencies to the same table
should be the first order of busi-
ness in supporting the industry
as the power player it is.
Opportunities as a
dining destination
The culinary history of Iceland
may be younger than other coun-
tries, but it has long since moved
away from survival mode that re-
lied on preservation and boiling
as a singular technique to a coun-
try building the framework of its
cuisine around the unparalleled
quality of its land and seas.
Locally grown wasabi, rival-
ling its Japanese counterparts,
is gaining global recognition, as
is hand-harvested salt. Icelandic
lamb is the first Icelandic prod-
uct to gain Protected Designation
of Origin recognition, giving it
the same status as champagne
or Greek yoghurt. Nurturing and
recognising local talents like Norð
Austur in the east, Slippurinn in
the south, and Tjöruhúsið in the
Westfjords as more than just local
gems but as regional heroes, will
only serve to foster and inspire
other talents to spring up.
We know from our Nordic
neighbours and other countries
abroad that sustained effort, with
cross-disciplinary cooperation
between ministries, sectors and
political alliances, yields no-
ticeable results. Denmark has
launched a public-private part-
nership, the Gastro 2025 ini-
tiative, to attract gastronomic
tourists and raise the country’s
culinary status. Russia was set
to host the World’s 50 Best on the
heels of the first ever Moscow Mi-
chelin Guide – initiatives that, if
not for the war, would have made
it an attractive food travel desti-
nation.
Icelandic cuisine is more than
its shock value smorgasbord of
boiled and pickled sheep heads
and ram testicles. We have never
eaten better, grown more high
quality produce or processed
better fish than we do today.
Our restaurants are not just lo-
cal gems to be cherished – they
are worthy of global scrutiny and
being recognised as attractions in
their own right.
With the ongoing influx of tourists, the
role of the food and beverage industry
cannot be underestimated.