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Sustainability over haute cuisine
Michelin-starred chef Ola Klepp explains the philosophy behind his restaurant in Norway, which is strictly based on seasonality, local connection and zero waste.
"We work every day to make our footprint as small as possible, respecting the seasonality of the products, creating as little waste as possible and ensuring that 78% of what we use is organic and zero miles," said Ola Klepp, co-owner with his wife of the K2* restaurant (Norway), today. They both believe that in order to feed a whole planet, we must now choose methods that do not destroy the soil, forests and oceans. Based in the port city of Stavanger in the south-eastern Norwegian province of Rogaland, Kleep chooses its suppliers according to three rules. "If we buy a Norwegian product from outside Rogaland, we have to justify that it is particularly good for us, but we cannot buy it from within Rogaland, such as scallops from Hitra or berries from Sogn. Finally, everything from outside Norway must be certified organic. The only exception is wine," he explains.
The menu is also an exercise in sustainability, and according to his three rules, it is mostly based on local produce, some of which comes from his own garden. The meat comes from five different farms that they know and visit personally. As for fish and seafood, "we only use wild catches from our local banks, so they vary a lot", revealing that, when in season, "we use Arctic cod 'skrei' from Lofoten and smoked salmon from a family-run smokehouse next to the restaurant". In addition, Kleep always designs a set menu to make the most of every product that enters the kitchen, to maximise waste and minimise preparation time.
Because of Norway's climate, canning is a fundamental technique for preserving summer fruits and vegetables during the cold months, or fish and seafood out of season. Through fermentation, drying, salting or vinegar marinades, they create real gems such as the prawn garum, with which he has today prepared a ceviche "more similar to the Filipino one because it has vinegar, in this case with plum", or the bread he serves at K2, "more than an accompaniment, it is a section in itself within our menu", made with rye bread and the compost left over from the fruit reductions they make.
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