Give an award
Several predicted in advance that Restaurant Rest in Oslo would run off with a star during this year’s award ceremony. Instead, Jimmy Øien (28), head chef at the Oslo restaurant Rest, received the Young Chef Award.
– I do not know what to say, I am in shock, he said on stage when he received the award.
The award goes to talents who show “exceptional culinary skills as well as passion and creativity in the kitchen”. Jimmy Øien uses only foods that would otherwise be wasted.
Christopher Haatuft, head chef at Lysverket, was also on stage to receive his first star. The restaurant in Bergen has previously been awarded the knife and fork brand in the Michelin guide.
Warm welcome
Heidi Bjerkan and the team at Credo in Trondheim received the award for «welcome and service».
– The fantastic people around me are the secret to why the service is so good, Bjerkan answers from the stage.
Credo was one of the first two restaurants in Trondheim to receive one star in the Michelin guide in 2019. Credo has also previously received the award “green star”, and today has two Michelin stars.
Only in Norway with three stars
One of the big questions of the evening was whether Re-Naa would get three stars. In that case, Norway would have had two restaurants with three stars. That did not happen, but Maeemo kept his.
Towards the end of the award ceremony, Maeemo chef Espen Holmboe Bang spoke on behalf of the four Nordic restaurants with three Michelin stars.
Maeemo moved to larger premises in 2019, and immediately had to give up all its three stars. When it reopened in 2020, it was just after the Michelin guide was released. Maeemo was therefore without stars until last year’s award ceremony. Then they immediately went up to three stars again.
When asked whether it is difficult to keep three stars, the star chef answered:
– I think you have to earn it every year.
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