Silver Birch Resort offers travellers exclusive experiences from Metos kitchen

Silver Birch Resort in Rovaniemi, Finland, offers travellers exclusive experiences of Lapland's nature and unique atmosphere. The resort's cuisine is designed as an efficient unit managed by a single professional. 

Simplicity, the exoticism of silence and exclusivity. This is what the foreign tourist increasingly comes to seek in the northern nature. The newly opened Silver Birch Resort in Rovaniemi offers all of this.

Silver Birch Resort has risen in a scenic area that a few years ago was still forest. Now the main building, which houses a restaurant and separate accommodation facilities, is located on the site. They offer a view of the lake, and the surrounding nature gives the opportunity to experience a tranquillity not experienced by many foreign guests.

The resort's kitchen is available only to its own guests, except for a few special events. A buffet breakfast, lunch and dinner are available to guests. Chef Henri Ljungkvist plans the food according to the clientele and, as far as possible, local raw materials.

– I don't try to make anything terribly complicated, there's always the risk that even the customer doesn't always understand what the dish is trying to achieve. The food is good in a simple way, and it is based on the best ingredients. I also pay attention to the healthiness of the preparation methods, says Ljungkvist.

Visitors to exclusive resorts are often not interested in what the food costs, but in the experiences it offers. That's why it's important to use ingredients with a story to tell and that offer quality and just the right amount of novelty.

– We source as many ingredients as possible from local entrepreneurs, such as reindeer and wild fish. However, I am not totally tied to this, but the interest and quality of the raw material is what counts. For example, duck from France is also on the list at the moment.

Not a single unnecessary step

Metos has designed the Silver Birch Resort kitchen for one chef on duty. A lot of attention to detail has been paid to accessibility and fluidity. The kitchen serves 50-60 dishes per shift when the resort is fully booked.

As the shift rotates with one kitchen and one catering staff, the functionality of everything becomes particularly important. This is reflected in dishwashing, for example.

–  I would say that the very first and most important thing for the smooth running of the work is that the dishwashing department is well designed and functional. You need a counter space for the dirty counter and enough space for a few clean baskets so that you can clear the counter when you have time, not when you have to. One cannot imagine how important a well-functioning dishwashing department is for smooth operation and well-being at work until one has experienced a poorly designed washing department!

In addition to having a well-functioning dishwashing area in the kitchen, the completely new space has given the freedom to design the rest of the kitchen to suit the site's needs.

– I was involved in the project at a stage when the kitchen was already largely designed. Metos understands the day-to-day running of a kitchen, so it was a good plan from the outset. Then, we made some adjustments together, for example to final equipment set; removing some and adding some, says Ljungkvist.

In a one-person kitchen, special attention has been paid to ensuring that all dishes are lifted so that the chef doesn't have to take more than a few steps from the lift table. Many small details have been well thought out in advance to ensure that the start of a new holiday destination and kitchen is as smooth as possible.

– For example, in an ideal situation, there would be no need to make any more preparations during the serving. However, everyone knows that such a situation can arise. Although our kitchen is not very large, we have designed a separate side table in the kitchen for such situations, so that you never have to do any prep work on the elevating table, says Ljungkvist.

With the equipment in place and the dishwashing running smoothly, ensuring a smooth and comfortable shift is really all about small ideas and insights.

Read also: Ergonomics in the professional kitchen – five tips for better ergonomics