Food Studio

So, when we got married this summer, it wasn’t just the wedding we were celebrating. We were also surrounded by the amazing people who have come into my life through the Food Studio project, the place we’ve found, and all the things we’ve gathered over time. It felt like we were back in the game, creating big, creative events again — only this time, it was a co-creation with friends.

Most people would have been quite stressed if they found out, just that spring, that they had a big tax bill due in the summer. But from my experience, I’ve learned that the most beautiful things in life aren’t things you can buy with money, and that was how this wedding felt. It was more than we could have ever wished for.

We knew that gathering so many beautiful souls who mean so much to us would be magical in itself, but anchoring our love in the place we’ve chosen to create our utopian paradise was beyond words. The space created, through interaction with nature during the ceremony, felt so safe, and we are deeply grateful to Line, Åsmund, and Damian for that.

We also knew that offering a celebration of co-creation at a time when that culture has almost disappeared — amid shared holidays, family commitments, and economic recessions — was perhaps asking a bit much. Yet, what everyone created together, contributing exactly what they were meant to, will remain deep in our hearts forever.

MENU

WELCOME SNACK
Deviled eggs with pickled spruce pines, wild-caught anchovies, garlic, onion, herbs, and homemade garlic aioli
Claire’s hummus
Wild herb pesto
Herb and flower Røros butter
Sourdough bread
Pineapple weed and fireweed lemonade made by John Koeckert
Oat bars from Auste

APERITIF
A magnificent wedge of french brie with foraged blueberry and rhubarb compote
Spekeskinke from Virgenes gård
Raw carrot and cucumber
Mixed nuts and olives
Wild herb tea by Elin Eriksen

DINNER
Salad with aged parmesan, salted roasted Valencia almonds, raw fennel, and a French Dijon and honey vinaigrette
Honey chili herb carrots steamed over an open fire
Fire-roasted new potatoes (some tossed with pork fat)
Green goddess kefir dressing/sauce
Lamb leg marinated in mustard and ramsløk pesto, grilled over a wood fire
Four-hour braised pork belly in the wood-fired oven
Magical caramelized onion sauce with beer and red currants
Sourdough bread with transcendent herb and flower butter from Røros

Kokekaffe from Tim Wendelboe
Various cakes and cookies donated or made by loving friends

All the vegetables and fruits came from Virgenes farm and Linda Jolly’s garden on Bygdøy. The eggs and meat were from Virgenes farm. Wild herbs, chanterelles, blueberries, and rhubarb were foraged by herbalist and artist Elin Eriksen. Caroline Magnus and Christoffer were the fire bearers and keepers of the pork belly magic. Behn, Kavian, and John mastered the rain grilling. Nuts, cheese, capers, and anchovies were sourced from Havens Kolonial in Oslo, owned by Behn and Vibeke. Auste contributed the foraged pickled pine spruce, ramsløk pesto, oat bars, and a cake. All bread was donated by Åpent Bakeri. Beer came from Gitte Holmboe’s brewery in Denmark, called Bøgedal brew. Gitte, Eva, and Nina kindly brought potatoes, carrots, heirloom tomatoes, and cucumbers from Rødmose biodynamic farm in Vejle, Denmark. Special thanks to the kitchen crew — Megan Guertner, John Koeckert, Bård Watn, August, Gitte, Caroline Magnus — and the many others who jumped in to help who aren’t mentioned. And it were all held and led by amazing head chef and kitchen production leader: Elizabeth Gilman.

Text: Cecilie Dawes
Photoes: Monica Løvdahl and Heidi Fagerli