Vikingsun: Curiosity and playfulness drives top chef

Renowned chef Mathias Dahlgren is constantly seeking inspiration, learning and developing new concepts. Dahlgren’s latest collaboration with Culimat offers high-quality tools to elevate the culinary experience, in restaurants and at home.

Before shows like Masterchef on TV and Chef’s Table on Netflix were even a thing, Mathias Dahlgren became a celebrity in the world of food. With some 35 years in the industry, he has managed a number of successful restaurants and been awarded several stars in the Michelin Guide. Dahlgren is the only Swede to win the Bocuse d’Or, the equivalent of the World Championship for chefs, and has been named Chef of Chefs (Kockarnas kock) in Sweden, no less than eight times.

Of course, a top chef needs high-quality tools. For a few years, Dahlgren has been collaborating with Culimat on a series of frying pans and other cookware. The high-quality products can handle the tough use and everyday challenges in busy restaurant kitchens, but are just as suitable for the conscious and curious home cook. “The Culimat range is user friendly and affordable, and makes cooking more fun – I use it in all my restaurants as well as at home,” says Dahlgren.

Cuisine for the future
Dahlgren also runs two restaurants at Grand Hôtel in Stockholm. The modern bistro Matbaren is legendary on the restaurant scene for its outstanding culinary experiences. Using the very best fresh seasonal produce, the team creates a vibrant menu. “When we opened and manifested the Nordic kitchen as a concept, chefs, journalists and gourmands from around the world came to experience our food – it was a really exciting time, and that’s how the word spread.”

His other venue in Grand Hôtel is Rutabaga. Here, Dahlgren continues to build his vision of cuisine for the future with world-class vegetarian dishes. “At Rutabaga, we’re creating the next generation of lacto-ovo-vegetarian cuisine,” says the chef. “Fresh produce of the highest quality, with the whole world as a source of inspiration, is transformed into one exciting menu. It’s a fun challenge!”

The busy entrepreneur is also in charge of the bistro at The Sparrow Hotel, a small boutique hotel in central Stockholm. This is considered one of the city’s best restaurants with a genuine French dining experience. Dahlgren also runs Green Rabbit, an innovative bakery that safeguards Swedish bread culture and craftsmanship, while exploring new ways to use grains. Here, playfulness and curiosity set the standard, with results that are pleasing for both the eye and the taste buds.

Collaboration with Culimat

Despite his long-term success, for many years Dahlgren felt that he lacked really good cookware and frying pans. “It’s soul-destroying when you have a great idea for a dish, fantastic ingredients and lots of inspiration – and then you don’t have the tools that are good enough to do the food justice,” he says.

When he eventually came into contact with Culimat, Dahlgren discovered that they had the knowledge of both material and potential, whilst he had the understanding of the design and the user perspective. For a few years, they have been working together on developing the perfect cookware with the finest materials and the ultimate design.

“It’s a joyful collaboration. Together we have refined, tested, redone, made it right, tested, improved and tested again,” explains Dahlgren. “We’ve tested our pans with chefs at my restaurants, my friends and family have tried them, and we all agree, these are fantastic pans. They will inspire and facilitate cooking whether it’s in the restaurant kitchen, at my house, or yours. Above all, the tools help ensure a great culinary experience – and it’s more fun.”

Evolving culinary scene

After many years in the industry, Dahlgren still maintains his passion for food, excited by its constant change and development. “When I was younger, I believed that I knew everything there was to know. But I’ve been doing this for a long time now, and I feel like I know less and less,” he says with a big smile.

For the first time in his career, Dahlgren is broadening the horizon abroad and opening a restaurant in the Maldives. He brings his acclaimed food philosophy all the way to the exclusive Soneva Jani resort, where his restaurant, called Overseas by Mathias Dahlgren, will serve dishes based on locally-grown ingredients and fresh fish caught in nearby waters. “When I started cooking, everybody was looking at France and Southern Europe for work experience and inspiration, but a lot has happened since then. Nowadays, you can get fantastic food and inspiration from cultures all over the world. I think that’s pretty cool.”

What is the secret behind his continuous success, one might wonder? “To succeed in any field of work, you need to be passionate and love what you do,” he says. “You need a fantastic team around you, and you also need to stay curious and have a desire to develop.” People might think that the more complicated, the better the gastronomy, but often it’s the reverse, according to the experienced chef. “I love looking for simple things. What is the least you need to do to make something fantastic? Think of a delicious Italian burrata, fresh tomatoes, good quality olive oil, and some salt and pepper. If you use great local produce, simplicity can be magical.”

Culimat Mathias Dahlgren Edition is a product series of frying pans and cookware in stainless steel. The products have a thick frame and surface in stainless steel, and the handles are comfortable and welded for superior hygiene. The range works on all types of stoves, including induction, and in the oven.

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