Mattias Dahlgren: Where North Meets South As the only Swede ever to win the coveted Bocuse d'Or, the French gastronomy prize, he has placed his indelible signature on his famous restaurant Bon Lloc, Catalonian for "Good Place”, in Stockholm. Mathias Dalhgren is a young, humble and famous chef in Sweden. Although he was born and raised in the cold, snowy north of the country, he has a huge infatuation with Spain. He is particularly partial to the Estilo Nuevo Euro-Latino kitchen, which has clearly influenced his restaurant and books. Where does your passion for Spain come from? There are many things that fascinate me about Spain. The government and the business world put a lot of effort into showing the rest of Europe and the world what Spain has to offer. They are proud of their big international corporations and at the same time proud of the man who runs his own ‘deli’ around the corner. Spaniards come together and literally scream “Spain is best”, and just by being that positive all inhabitants believe in it. It is not like that here in Sweden; people are working towards a specific goal and only that goal, such as hosting the Olympic Games. When the project falls there is nothing left, so to speak. Spain really has it all: trends, wine, tourist, industries and of course, Mathias smiles, The restaurant, which is perhaps the very best in the world right now - El Bulli ran by the leading Spanish chef Ferran Adriá Why does the Spanish kitchen influence you? The food is of extremely high quality. Ingredients have fantastic flavour and texture and, when working with that kind of material, food tastes so rich. Spanish cooking is all about harmony and the ingredients complement each other. What’s the essence of your own restaurant Bon Lloc? My philosophy regarding the restaurant and my work is to do the best I can in order to give the guests a positive experience, where the food, the wine and the service match each other. Where does your inspiration come from? I visit Spain as often as I can, maybe even four times a year. I grab inspiration from everything, a home-cooked meal or a good restaurant. But it’s not only from Spain, I am inspired by everything around me. A Dajm (Dime bar) is not only a good tasty snack with chocolate and nuts, it has also a salty flavour and creamy texture. So, my thought is, can I use that feeling in another dessert. I just think food! Restaurateur and author – do you enjoy writing? Believe me it is not for the money, I write books only for the love of it! Food is my passion. I will never get tired of it and I would love people to feel like I do. My first book has a Euro-Latino-Bon Lloco theme - it is my personal cookbook, so to speak. The new book is more about developing your own ideas, and taste, to get rid of any kind of limited thinking and dare to try. What is the best thing about Spain? My Spanish wife Anna. © 2006, Swedish Bulletin. All rights reserved