Food Studio

The past year Maaemo has been given a lot of attention, also here in Norway, but maybe most of all from abroad. With their non-compromising approach to organic and local ingredients, the art of cooking, design and the whole food experience, they have mesmerized many, driven bloggers bananas and made food critics wish their dice had more than six eyes. But if you ask them, they are just getting started.

British-American writer Henry James  once wrote “It takes an endless amount  of history to make even a little tradition”.  We have many food traditions in Norway  that can prove this to be true.  The small team of nerdy dairy  enthusiast at Rørosmeieriet are working  hard to preserve and take care of one of  these treasures as they balance the fine  line between tradition and innovation.  From ancient knowledge, maybe a bit  of luck and skillful handcraft, a strange  milky brew from the past is giving us  vital health and connection to our roots. 

Try and ask any child to come along with you to a hospital. You’d probably find that most would dread it – the grey corridors, the sterile environment,  the chemical smells, the absence of life. Hospitals are usually not a place you come to be invigorated, but, rather, a place to be avoided at all costs. So, let's then picture an ideal hospital ... a place dedicated to promoting life, beauty and health on all levels.

You know it is the month of August when the days are sunny and warm, but the nights remind us that it won’t be long till the leaves turn yellow and orange. This is the time to harvest the fresh, delicious vegetables the soil has produced over the summer. On our Summer Get Away, we travelled to Lislerud farm to do just that.

In the search for solutions that recognize the interconnectedness of root causes, my pilgrimage led me to the Ayurvedic system of healing. Can the legacy of Eastern medicine traditions contribute to our quest towards restoring balance and reviving our connection to nature?

An evening in April Food Studio arranged a tribute evening to the old-fashioned baking traditions that in the 90's were on their way off breakfast tables across Norway. Now, this traditional craft is on it´s way back, with growing interest amongst hobby bakers, professionals, food bloggers and other baking devotees.

Bøgedal Bryghus, a small craft brewery located in Jylland in Denmark, delivers beer for a number of acclaimed restaurants, including Noma and Aamanns in Copenhagen, as well as Maaemo in Oslo. Their beers are especially celebrated for the full-bodied malt flavor, the result of an old traditional brewing method making the so-called “Godtøl”, directly translated good beer. And good beer it certainly is.

By walking we ask questions By walking we make a path 7-9 of June Flatbread Society with Oslo Apiary invited to a three-day journey from Losæter, Oslo, to the Henie Onstad Art Center, Bærum. This walk connects these two sites via the coastline. At once a commons and a site of rapid enclosure, this coastline will be activated by a group of bodies as a means to keep it free and open and inline with Norway’s, "all mans right to roam": allemannsretten.

Snøen hadde ikke ligget lenge på fortauene, og bakken var glatt og minusgradene holdt seg stabilt. Utenfor Schous bibliotek på Grünerløkka knitret det ivrig fra bålet og nysgjerrige forbipasserende satt seg ned på benkene og fikk en varmende kopp med ingefærgløgg som fått nytt liv. Det var tid for det årlige overskuddsbordet, et langbord dekket for alle byens innbyggere med maten man trodde ingen ville ha.

MAD is sharpening the knives, mobilizing chefs from all over the world to use their powers both inside and outside the kitchen. Fighting for social sustainibility, a better distribution of resources and a change in the economical structure. At the 4th MAD symphosium in Copenhagen, the pot was boiling around some very important questions; «What's Cooking? What's Changing? What's Not Working?»

Siri Kalla is the first certified Fertility Awareness educator in Norway and founder of Our Fertility, a platform for sharing knowledge about holistic reproductive health and the female body. In this interview she tells us why the method of Fertility Awareness can help you gain profound knowledge about your body and self, and how creating an inner sustainable health directly  relates to sustainability on a macro level. 

In 1971, a group of young activists occupied a vacant barracks area in Copenhagen. Their vision was to build an alternative society based on sustainability, community and consensus democracy. After forty years of tumult with the police and the government, Christiania has been working towards seceding from the Kingdom of Denmark since 2011. But what has happened to make them come so close to becoming a legal state? And can the community of Christiania cooperate with the government on sustainability work? I spoke to State Archivist Ole Lykke, hoping to understand the connection between community, sustainability, drugs and democracy in Christiania, Copenhagen.

We waste food enough to feed one billion people, yet growing your own carrots can get you in jail. The very first EAT Food Forum in Stockholm this spring gave us some spicy mouthfuls.

When I was a child, the act of painting or drawing was always the way of communication. It was also my only weapon which can protect my own realm, and make the realm visible with my own hand. When I work on illustrations, I always keep this in mind. On our latest journey to Japan we were lucky to work with Yuri in Osaka. Inspired by her work we wanted to share her story with you here.

Aritayaki, a kind of Japanese pottery, finds its roots in the ancient ceramics town of Arita located on Kyushu Island in southern Japan. It was in this town, in the year 1616, that the Koreans first introduced the art of pottery to Japan. Up to today Arita still produces ceramics made by local craftsmen using the distinctive ingredient of clay made from crushed stone.

Four years ago, on one dark, melancholic winter’s eve, I found myself lying on the couch watching Netflix. Sounds familiar, right? The problem was, for me at that time, it felt like the only thing I could master.  Yes, I went to work. Yup, I did the dishes and the laundry. I prepared food, showered and walked my dog. But compared to what I used to be able to do and what I longed to do it felt like all I did was lay on the couch, barely processing what I was watching.

On Norway’s 200th National Day, May 17th, 2014, we hosted a dinner on behalf of Kinfolk. The theme of the evening was l'ésprit de la mer – the spirit of the sea– so we headed out to an island in the Oslo Fjord, while other sea inspired Kinfolk dinners were going on in many different corners of the world.

The Food Studio Gift card is close to a perfect gift, every time, every day, every year.

Can silence be a superpower? What is the potential of slowing it all down and diving into the practice of listening? Poet and researcher Olga Lehmann has studied what silence can do to us, our multi-layered health and everyday wellbeing.

"With these kinds of projects one must be surrounded by passionate souls, by people that love what they do and what they stand for." Jon-Frede Engdahl reaches out his hand and offers a good cup of coffee. It’s easy to talk with him about raw materials, market shares, possibilities, ecology and idealism. One story leads to another and, before you know it, it’s lunchtime and the restaurant is suddenly filled with hungry women and young mothers on maternity leave.

Max Hansen is a Dane, born in the outskirts of Helsingør/Elsinore where he was raised with his five brothers. He is a chef, a celebrated chef. When Food Studio shared the duties of organising a pop-up dinner in Ålesund, he was in charge of the kitchen together with colleague Kasper Nikolajsen and provided a fantastic dinner cooked exclusively with local ingredients.We couldn't miss the chance to interview him and talk about his views on Norwegian food, managing restaurants and hyper-stuffed lunch boxes.

2019 was the year Oslo was awarded the status of European Green Capital. 675 environment-related events around Oslo's streets, buildings and nature. In December, the stage was set for the final feast, and the Food Studio provided guidance on the menu and décor. A mix of local residents, politicians and organizers poured into the main entrance to City Hall on December 16.

Cock-a-doodle-doo! The rooster Tor-Ild calls early in the morning Saturday, June 13th. During the summer, this usually happens twice: first, around five as the sun starts to warm up the hen house and then around 7:30, when it is time to wake. I peek out the window and see the green leaves on the trees move gently. The weather is nice, a few scattered clouds and some glints of sunlight. The air is clear and filled with the scents of early summer: shots of spruce, lilac, grass, forget-me-not, manure, lily of the valley, birch, roses, pine, lichen, timo- thy, and soil; the sun-heated fur of horses and dogs.

On October 11th, Food Studio joined forces with Growlab Oslo to host a dinner on behalf of Kinfolk. The theme of the evening was A Messy Meal: Embracing Wabi-sabi in the Everyday. It was not hard to find the right place for the Kinfolk dinner. Food Studio’s recent location is one of the quirkiest places in central Oslo. A derelict factory building where the city’s deranged and destitute used to work. The spacious halls and narrow corridors still tell their tale.

It is the first weekend since the official beginning of spring in Japan, and for the local Tokyo habitant it means one thing: the season of the cherry blossom has finally arrived. Gone are the cold winter days and the short afternoons. Everybody is eager to stretch their legs and look for the best spots in town to witness the marvelous sakura trees come to life again. Along the Meguro River, the sakuras cover the river in white and pink, and a multitude of locals and surprised tourists walk through tunnels of sakura flowers.

Secrecy is always intriguing when it comes to food. Fortunately, the Danish chef duo Bo Lindegaard and Lasse Askov are equally as good at keeping secrets as they are at preparing delicious meals. Together they run the design/food collaboration I’m a Kombo in Copenhagen, which refers to the team’s combination of tasteful skills and limitless imagination.

In an economy struggling to stabilize itself after the devastating earthquakes of 2015, innovative solutions from the younger generation of changemakers brings hope for the future of the Himalayan country. Saurav Dhakal and his Green Growth team are creating waves of positive impact in both local communities and the national food systems, and similar initiatives are sprouting across the foothills of majestic mountain ranges.

At the moment I am sitting overlooking the fjord of and the mountains of Saltdal having a winter break in the north of Norway. There is a peaceful quietness after a storm yesterday. The sun is slowly waking up in the winterlandscape, breaking through in dots on the mountains around. One of the most valuable teachings of last year has the importance of this rest, this silence after a storm. How this is where we regenerate, where we charge, and get ready for the next round.

The Food Studio Collective has co-edited Farmlife together with Gestalten, the renowned German publishing house. Farmlife is a beautiful collection of portraits of people who have chosen to live off the land without giving up their creative mindset. Follow them as they carve their own path from the farm to the table and give "living on a farm" a whole new definition.

Deep in the rolling mountains of Jämtland in Sweden lies one of the most remarkable restaurants on the planet – Fäviken Magasinet. Join us as Food Studio heads north to experience this magical place.

Scandinavia used to have a rich tradition of brewing beer stretching back hundreds of years. However, over the last few decades this skill seemed to have fallen out of favour. Recently, however, this forgotten art of craft beer-making has been resurrected by small-scale breweries across Scandinavia to great success. Here, Food Studio takes a look at what makes the Nordic approach to brewing beer so special.

"Norway violates the human rights of indigenous people. I feel it deep down in my spine. In November I went to Fosen and photographed and filmed the facts. I stood close and witnessed what the landscape looked like. I was there for two days before I was unable to stay there any longer. It was too painful. The wind turbines on Fosen must be demolished, and the land returned to the Fosen Sami" - Jannik Abel.

This year has been all about finding new ways to share our knowledge. One of the projects we have been working on is the e-bok Gathering together with Nordic Roots. Nordic Roots is a deeper, slower «time pocket» for the sharing knowledge, wisdom, and creativity from people who easily see the many opportunities to live a life more aligned with themselves and nature, both in their business and in their private life.

Fremja is a new social therapeutic initiative in Norway for youths and grown-ups that for different reasons need adapted work or living situations. Frode Wendelboe is one of the founders and calls himself an artist of care. We had a talk about the need to merge ecological and social work and why the solutions are interdependent.

October 2011 we visited Nordgard Aukrust Farm in Lom. The invitation to experience the offerings of autumn, as well as a cooking course with Maaemos’ Esben Holmboe Bang tempted Food Studio to Nordgard Aukrust Farm during the past harvest season.

Food studio loves road trips. Most of all we love the stops along the way. The bakery “Bakeriet i Lom” is one of those places. It's a real gem. The bakery is located in the small mountain village Lom, a few hours’ drive from Oslo, not far from the national park Jotunheimen. The man behind it, Morten Schakenda, has been a great inspiration for Food Studio.