The Food anf Fun event once again took over Reykjavik, Iceland.
The Blue Lagoon is one of Iceland’s most popular attractions. Helja Salonen
A cooking competition that is forbidden by a tight hat, maybe even the funniest cooking competition in the world. That’s what Food and Fun is currently running in Reykjavik, Iceland.
At the end of winter, a group of the world’s best chefs from Europe and the United States come to the city to compete and judge. Each chef contestant gets his own restaurant, where he prepares a Food and fun menu.
The menu is the same price in every restaurant, 78 euros. The original idea was to offer people the opportunity to eat at a top restaurant a little cheaper.
Finland will be represented this year by Mikael Mihailov. Food and Fun
The competition started when the father of the whole competition, an Icelandic chef Siggi Hall decided to do something about the quiet life of the tourism season at the end of February and the beginning of March. The number of tourists decreased, so something had to be done.
The first event was sponsored by Icelandair, the Icelandic Hotel and Gastronomy School and the city of Reykjavik in February 2002. Since then, the festival has gained international recognition and has become an annual event held in Reykjavik.
Chefs from all over the world are invited to Iceland and they collaborate together with local restaurants, creating gourmet dishes at a reasonable price. Foreign chefs have shown interest in the event from the beginning. The organizer invites the participants.
Representing Finland this year Mikael Mihailov. He cooks at the restaurant Mathús Garðabæjar.
– I have been doing research trips to Mexico for longer now and I combine Mexican flavors with Nordic cuisine, so the product is something completely unique Mexican-Nordic cuisine, Mihailov says.
Mikael Mihailov’s competition sample. Mikael Mihailov
He has experience in world famous restaurants such as Eleven Madison Park in New York. Mihailov is known for his innovative and experimental approach to cooking.
He combines flavors from around the world to create dishes that showcase his own style. Mihailov has competed twice in the S. Pellegrino Young Chef competition.