Guest chef Hans Välimäki at Restaurant Ikarus

October 2010 at Restaurant Ikarus: Hans Välimäki

At home with Dominique

If you expect a pretty little French woman at Helsinki's most in-demand restaurant, "Chez Dominique", you'll be disappointed. Instead of a femme fatale, top chef Hans Välimäki serves the best of French and Nordic cuisine. The technique is French; where ingredients are concerned the Finn places great emphasis on native products, which represent the essence of his creations. He finds the components for his avant-garde cuisine in his own field, where the best carrots, herbs and potatoes guarantee the freshness of his dishes. And how many chefs can claim to know exactly where a potato comes from, the variety and who grew it?

Välimäki launched his career with a snack when he was 12 years old. Nothing unusual about that at his age, but instead of just topping a slice of bread with ham or cheese, he baked the bread himself. He didn't have much time for the usual sweet snacks; he preferred to eat his own homemade cakes. After a few years his reputation had extended beyond the school playground.

At 21 Välimäki graduated from the Perho School of Cookery in Helsinki; two years later he acquainted himself with the sweet side of cooking at the School of Pastry. The Finn then worked as a sous-chef in various restaurants, such as Lord in Helsinki and Edsbacka Krog in Stockholm. After two years he returned to his studies and completed the Food and Beverage Management and Restaurant Business and Administration courses in Haaga, Helsinki. He skilfully applied what he had learned and trialled over the last few years at Restaurant Gässlingen in Stockholm. His next posts allowed him to return to his homeland. He spent a year each at Restaurant Kaarle XII Kruunu and Soup, before finally reaching the place he was probably destined for all along – "Chez Dominique", in the centre of Helsinki.

Välimäki entered his kitchen for the first time in 1998 and this step not only changed the tradition of cuisine at "Chez Dominique", but that of the whole country. His creations are not what one would expect – they are what one would hope for! Think of Finland, and the first thing that springs to mind is cold and the second is snow. The top chef shapes these into a snowball filled with mint and berries. It tastes like it sounds, so icy that it melts on the tongue. His astonishing combinations are reflected in his long tasting menus, where adventurous gourmets will find potato ice-cream with sardine paste and freshly grilled sardines, and many other delicacies such as crabs and cucumbers with cucumber juice and black bread crisp. Such avant-garde approaches have not only reached the plates of his diners, but also the six cookery books Välimäki has written to date. His latest work, Mummola, is still awaiting publication. The culinary masterpiece is already expected to put its predecessors in the shade. Hans brought his television career to an end in 2007, after more than six years. He much prefers standing in the kitchen at "Chez Dominique" than in front of a television studio set.

"Chez Dominique" is regarded as one of the five top restaurants in Scandinavia and the best in Finland. It was chosen as Restaurant of the Year by the Finnish Gastronomic Society in 2000. Välimäki's wildest dreams were exceeded with the first Michelin star he was awarded in 2001. Since one star never shines as brightly as two, the second came in 2003. In the same year he was fêted by the International Food & Beverage Forum as Restaurateur of the Year 2003. It's little wonder that "Chez Dominique" occupies 21st position in the top 50 restaurants; it is more of an affirmation for the chef de cuisine and his team.

Many say that the Finn is only at the start of his career, so his colleagues had better dress warmly, because the 39 year-old has not yet exhausted his entire repertoire and is ready to conquer the rest of the world when he's finished with the North. Finland has chefs like Välimäki to thank for the fact that it has acquired an awareness of its own cuisine, one which magically attracts gourmets from all over the world.