Runar Helgeland secured the last finalist spot in the Arctic Young Chef competition by winning the preliminary contest in Mosjøen, Norway.
Runar will represent Norway in the final of the Arctic Young Chef competition, which will take place at Harpa Concert Hall in Reykjavik as part of the Arctic Circle Assembly in October.
The competition in Norway was held on September 11 at the new culinary school in Mosjøen, Nordland. The event was part of the major food conference “Arktisk Mat,” which is hosted annually in Mosjøen and attracts guests from around the world.
Runar’s winning menu featured a starter made from stockfish, a type of dried fish, and a main course based on reindeer. In addition to these, the menu – in line with the competition’s focus – included other local ingredients.
The menu was judged on taste, execution, technique, skills, presentation, and service, with time management playing a crucial role. The judges praised Runar’s dishes, stating that they were perfectly prepared, demonstrated exceptional technique, and were both full of flavour and aesthetically impressive.
After the competition, winner Runar Helgeland said: “I am very pleased with the competition, and personally, I’m very satisfied with my main course, especially the sauce – it turned out really well. I’m also happy to participate in such a competition; it was actually competitions like this that made me pursue a career in cooking. I hope the competition highlights the profession and encourages more people to join, especially with the focus on ingredients that we don’t use as often. I’m looking forward to the final in Iceland.”
The competition was the first major event at Mosjøen Videregående School in Marka, where the culinary school is based. The day after, the school was officially opened, and this competition was a great test to put everything under pressure,” said Per Theodor Tørrissen, one of the school’s teachers and a co-organizer of Arctic Young Chef.
The judging panel consisted of Inunnguaq Hegelund, a chef from Greenland, Beatrice Lentini, restaurant manager at Huset i Gato, and Roderick Sloan, a fisherman, diver, and chef.
Updates about the competition are posted on instagram.com/arctic_young_chef