Chef Laukkonen trusts his instincts

Sasu Laukkonen, an ambitious 37-year-old who counts farming and foraging as hobbies, is a name to look out for in the future. Just an hour before SeaFood Business caught up with him, Chef & Sommelier, the restaurant he recently opened south of the Finnish capital Helsinki, was recognized by a professional listing as the eighth best in the country.

“We are just stunned,” he says. “For a small 22-seat restaurant, this really shows that you can do things your own way, by trusting your instincts.”

Laukkonen certainly does that. His restaurant focuses on organic produce and natural ingredients, and he tries to work closely with producers and farmers. “The main point of this is to understand more and more about quality, seasonality and the reality behind the produce I use,” he says. “I'm very passionate about my ingredients; without them, this restaurant is just four walls and a kitchen.”

Laukkonen is transferring this philosophy to fish — and in particular, “trash fish.” This rather inelegant phrase is used to describe specimens that are seen as less desirable, and not commonly eaten in restaurants; they therefore do not command a high price and are often underutilized.

Laukkonen points out that this is often a cultural issue: One country’s trash fish is another’s delicacy. The common carp, for example, is considered a trash fish in the United States, but is sought after in Europe.

Click here to read the full story which ran in the February issue of SeaFood Business > 

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