Sebastian Garcia Jiménez wins Arctic Young Chef in the Faroe Islands

Sebastian will represent the Faroe Islands in the final of the Arctic Young Chef competition, which will be held at Harpa in Reykjavik during the Arctic Circle Assembly in October

The semi-final in the Faroe Islands was held on August 17th in Klaksvik as part of the large Seamen’s Day celebration, which drew around 5000 people.

Sebastian’s winning menu featured a starter made with baccala and a main dish centered around dab. Both dishes incorporated other local ingredients such as garnatálg (fermented tallow), local beer, turnips, and seaweed. A key aim of the competition is to highlight the use of uncommon but readily available local ingredients, like dab.

The menu was judged on taste, execution, technique, skills, presentation, and service, with timing also being a critical factor. The judges praised Sebastian’s menu for its “finely balanced dishes and the innovative blending of Faroese and international elements.”

After the competition the winner Sebastian Garcia Jiménez said: “I had an Amazing feeling of the competition, it was very well organized and I am excited that people are looking for young talents and want to give them an extra push to do something else. Very much looking forward for the finals and hoping that the first price can be taken back to my new home the Faroe Islands.”

“This was the very first chef competition ever held in the Faroe Islands, and we at NORA are thrilled to have initiated such an event”, said Halla Nolsøe Poulsen, Director of NORA. “We hope this will be the first of many tournaments, as these competitions help elevate the gastronomical standards in the Faroe Islands, just as the Arctic Young Chef competition is raising the culinary level across the North Atlantic.”

The panel of judges included: Hinrik Carl Ellertson, teacher at the chef school in Kópavogur in Iceland, Jákup Sumberg, chef and director of Sjógæti and Petrine Nolsøe Larsen, headwaiter at Tarv restaurant in Tórshavn.

The three finalists who have qualified for the final so far are Andres Björgvinsson representing Iceland, Lars Abelsen representing Greenland and Sebastian Garcia Jiménez representing the Faroe Islands.

The next national semi-final will take place in Mosjøen, Norway, on September 11th. The grand finale will then be held in Reykjavík during the Arctic Circle Assembly in October.

The next and last national competition will take place in Mosjøen, Norway, on September 11. The grand finale will then be held in Reykjavík during the Arctic Circle Assembly in October.

The ARCTIC YOUNG CHEF is a culinary competition for young chefs and food enthusiasts under 30 from Greenland, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, and Norway. There is particular focus on highlighting underutilised food resources. The competition supported and organized by NORA – Nordic Atlantic Cooperation.

Updates about the competition are posted on instagram.com/arctic_young_chef