The best young Nordic chef is Antti Nurkka from Finland!

Antti Nurkka from Finland impressed the Nordic jury with his compositions based on Nordic raw materials matching Linie Aquavit, and was declared the winner of Linie Award 2006 by the professional jury. 

Antti with head of jury, Eyvind Hellstrøm (photo: Yvonne Holth)

– This night will open so many doors for me.  The competition was very hard, but this really increases my possibilities of becoming a famous chef, it's huge, it may change my whole career - so many new possibilites, exclaims the overwhelmed winner - Antti Nurkka from Helsinki, Finland   

Antti, aged 28, working at Hotell Savoy in Helsinki, was competing Wednesday night against the young chef elite from the other Nordic countries - Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Iceland - at Grand Cafe, Oslo.  

For three hectic hours he created his two winning courses at the Grand Hotel kitchen, in front of cameramen and an enhustiastic crowd leaded by blonde Kari Traa, famous Norwegian skiing-queen.  Antti's first course - entree - was composed from cod, slowly boiled, fried tartar of herring with dill marinated vegetables, dark lemon sauce and a foam of fennel.  His second course - main course - was composed from calf of reindeer, lightly smoked tongue of reindeer with mustard, Linie Aquavit-glazed season's vegetables, puree of potato and a dark sauce from reindeer. 

– Antti was simply the best performer tonight, says head of jury, Eyvind Hellstrøm from Bagatelle in Oslo (two stars in Guide Michelin). – He managed a supreme match between his two courses and Linie Aquavit. In addition, he showed a unique sense of the special New Nordic kitchen, and the special raw materials from the Nordic countries, Hellstrøm continues.   

In the jury, Hellstrøm joined forces with several famous names from the New Nordic kitchen-movement - among them star chef Lasse Lundquist from Finland, sommelier Pontus Elofson of NOMA, Copenhagen, TV-chefs Bengt Sjöström, Siggi Hall and Andreas Viestad from Sweden, Iceland and Norway respectively - and last, but not least, chief distiller Halvor Heuch of Arcus.

Thorarinn in the kitchen (photo: Yvonne Holth)

Thorarinn Eggertsson from Iceland won the second place in the Linie Award competion.  Eggertsson, in charge of Reykjavik restaurant Salt, had composed an entree from crispy, salted cod and virgin lobster in puffed pastry with tomato confit, green peas, seaweed and lobster sauce, and a main course from local game with forest mushrooms, asparagus, low artichoke and madeira sauce.

- New Nordic chef stars, Antti Nurkka and Thorarinn Eggertsson being now in the front row, show that Norwegian aquavit goes very well with traditional Nordic foods made in a modern way, says Christian Brink, Vice President Sales- and Marketing at Arcus.

Antti Nurkka wins a two weeks scholarship in a three star Michelin restaurant in Europe or the US, while Thorarinn Eggertson will have a similar stay in the famous two star NOMA restaurant of Copenhagen, Denmark.

– This competition is a unique possibility for yong chefs. Antti and Thorarinn will have a very valuable experience and get inspiration from some of the best kitchens in the world, ends Eyvind Hellstrøm.

Our warmest gratulations goes out to winners and participants!