PHOTO: Sandy Arufors
Get to know the Brains behind this year’s Brasserie Konrad
Introducing Lindor Wink, a known name in the Swedish culinary scene and building his reputation all over the world. He might be young in years, but his brilliance in the kitchen is not one of a young gun.
Lindor has been with us for three seasons. You often see him in the cross-country tracks or in deep in Laub. He is not much of a talker about his excellence in the kitchen but if you talk training or outdoor activities he has much to say. I literally made him sit down with me and talk about his cooking, didn’t expect much but got overwhelmed by his resume and thoughts of life. Therefore I give the word in all to Lindor. Enjoy.
My interest in cooking grew steadily from a young age when I was working in my mother Elisabeth’s cafe. I was handling the Ice cream bar and got to taste the aromas in abundance, there and then I realized that I liked good flavors. It made me realize that I liked good food and it became an influence of some sort. In combination with my sports, competing in alpine skiing and canoe, I could see myself working with it, on a seasonal basis exactly like training plan.
I started taking seasonal jobs in te Swedish mountains, Åre for example and worked there for three seasons. After that, I wanted to go to the big city, Stockholm, and started to compete in cooking. It was an easy transition from sports to cooking – you need a precise focus and patience. Abilities I had been training for during my careers in sports.
In Stockholm, I started working on Oaxen Krog (2 Michelin stars) and one day person called me to ask if I wanted to compete with him in the Bocuse d’Or (Cooking World championship). As I was of twenty years old of the time I didn’t really think, I just said yes without knowing what I’ve actually gotten myself into. Its the best yes I ever said and opened up a new world for me, I though two years of training and the final would be the end of it, a closed chapter in my life, but I was wrong. I got a ticket into the junior culinary team of Sweden and said Yes again, I’m probably not that good at saying no anyway. I worked in Mathias Dahlgren (2 Michelin stars) during this time and got to travel the world and learn more than I ever hoped for. It was a dream come true that I didn’t even have had the time to realize I had…
Now Seven years later I’m the coach for the Swedish Junior Culinary Team and have some heavyweights on my resume.
So why do I come back to Engelberg?
It’s simple really. I thought about the things I lack in my life and came to a conclusion. I really miss the combination of outdoor life and still working in a great kitchen. To be able to cook really good food in an environment that urges you to go outside is very rare. It just doesn’t exist in many places. Engelberg is my second home of some sort and it gives back as much energy as I put in, you don’t go empty-handed from this work, because it is much more than work. The pressure is different and more enjoyable, for six months a year it is excellent.
The Team
Aligned with my previous words the group of people that are working in the kitchen this year is handpicked. People I enjoy working with and they are all outstanding in their field. We have different experiences and this will complement all members of the team and makes us fit for the task. Jesper Westermark has worked as a sous-chef at Mathias Dahlgren and on the National Geographic Explorer, a boat that travels the world. Eric Seger was on the Junior Culinary team Juniorlandslaget 2013-2016 and have a Junior Olympic gold, Junior World Championship silver, Individually junior World Championship silver. David Lundgren previously worked at Lilla Bjärs on Gotland and Restaurant Copperhill in Åre. Last but not least we have Henrik Hagtorn, the second in command who has worked in Brasserie Konrad for three seasons, serving great food for our guests.
We are all looking forward to this season and hope to have more powder days, less hungry people and a good time.
Hope to see you in the Brasserie Konrad – you can read the full Menu Here.
// Lindor Wink and The Ski Lodge Team
