What do Ikea furniture, hand-painted wooden figurines called Dala horses and meatballs served with lingonberry jam have in common?
They are all from Sweden — and they can all be found at Taipei’s only Swedish restaurant, Flavors, a cozy establishment on an alley off Renai Road (仁愛路) that serves traditional Swedish dishes made with organic, locally grown ingredients.
Chef Ola Kronkvist owns the restaurant with his wife, Stephanie Wang (王舒妍). The couple opened the restaurant to bring Swedish food to Taiwan and create a home for themselves and their guests.
And for Kronkvist and Wang, “home” is a fair description of the restaurant where they spend almost every waking moment — and say they enjoy each day.
While both love cooking, Wang usually takes care of the guests at the restaurant and deals with suppliers, while Kronkvist is the main chef.
“I’m the husband chained to the stove,” he said with a hearty laugh.
But he’s not complaining.
“I am so happy to come to work every day,” 35-year-old Kronkvist said. “I love my job.”
“A lot of people say we under-charge, but I tell them money isn’t the motivation for this restaurant,” he said.
For Kronkvist and Wang, the real motivation was the chance to work side by side.
The couple met while studying at a hotel and restaurant school in Switzerland. Rather than the traditional approach of flowers and chocolate, Kronkvist said he wooed Wang with his culinary creations.
As a chef, Kronkvist said he believes people connect over food because “you make moments with it.”
As an example, he said, imagine offering someone a cup of tea brewed with leaves you plucked at a mountain tea plantation. A personal touch adds a whole new aspect, he said.
Wang and Kronkvist said spending a leisurely afternoon cooking a meal together was still one of their favorite activities.
And cooking is a collaborative effort. The pair go to the grocery store together and plan the cooking together.
“We discuss what we’re going to buy, what we’re going to make ... The whole process is fun,” Wang said.
But opening a restaurant was a challenge. Only about 30 percent of restaurants survive the first year and the figures go downhill from there, they said. Add to that the effects of the recession on consumers’ spending habits and you have a recipe for stressful times.
“When times are tough, it is good to have a strong team behind you — I think that’s why we’re strong, because we’re married and live a happy life together,” Kronkvist said.
Despite the daunting obstacles, Wang and Kronkvist were determined to try their hand at running a restaurant because they wanted to work for themselves and design their own work environment.
Kronkvist said he wanted a respectful and cheerful work environment. He said hotels and restaurants in Taiwan were often stressful places to work, with managers shouting at employees, who in turn are expected to continue working with a smile for the benefit of customers.
That “just doesn’t work,” Kronkvist said.
Reflecting on their experience opening a restaurant, Kronkvist said Taiwan was a good environment to start a business.
It encourages entrepreneurship, he said, although being a foreigner can add more challenges to an already long list of tasks, including registering for licenses and finding equipment and suppliers, he said.
“I’m lucky because I have my wife and she speaks Chinese,” Kronkvist said. “Nobody can cheat me because she’s from this country. It makes a difference.”
Kronkvist added that he was making an effort to learn Mandarin, but that his vocabulary was still limited.
“Give me a small plate” and “Do you have a reservation?” are no problem, he said. But until he learns more Chinese, Wang will have to take care of that department.
Although Wang has translated the restaurant’s offerings into Chinese, the couple said they disagree sometimes on what to call their traditional Swedish dishes.
As Mandarin names for dishes are often not as direct as English, Wang said translation poses a challenge. Direct translation into Chinese risks making menu offerings sound less appetizing, she said.
And the pair work hard to offer an appetizing menu. The dishes at Flavors are made with good quality, locally produced ingredients, Kronkvist said.
“Freshly produced food in close proximity is always better than transported food,” he said, explaining why he believes restaurants should shun imported ingredients.
Kronkvist said he also sees the locally grown, organic products he uses in his food as “a good way to represent Taiwan” and support the local economy.
“Taiwan has some of the best seafood and fresh produce that I’ve come across,” he said.
Having lived in 15 countries, Kronkvist is in a position to make comparisons.
“I’ve seen the world,” he said.
On his life in Taiwan, Kronkvist said: “Taiwan is a very safe place because most people understand a little English or they will find someone who understands it,” he said.
His first impression of the country as a child came from the “Made in Taiwan” toys that were ubiquitous in Sweden back then.
Since moving to Taiwan, he has relished learning about the culture and is now a self-proclaimed taike (台客), he said, adding that he wished more Taiwanese appreciated their home for what it is.
That includes appreciating the hot, humid summer, he said.
“Now that summer’s here, most Taiwanese just say: ‘Oh it’s going to be so hot.’ But I [am picturing] my Taiwan Beer on the porch,” he said.
Another of Taiwan’s charms, he said, is the food stands. Kronkvist said he enjoyed traveling and testing roadside food stands across the country.
The delight, he said, lies in finding the gems that are often deceptively humble.
The customers may be sitting on plain plastic chairs, but “they do it because this cold noodle [dish] is one of the best you’ve ever had,” he said.
Kronkvist started cooking when he was only four. He learned to make his home country’s classic meatballs at an age when most kids could barely eat the dish without getting sauce all over themselves.
His grandmother taught him, and the dishes he learned were mostly traditional Swedish cuisine such as the apple cakes he offers at Flavors.
Although Kronkvist said he sometimes misses Sweden, he has found a new home in Taiwan and his restaurant is a special source of joy.
“When guests come here and they don’t want to leave — that’s what I like, that’s the passion behind all this,” he said. “If you have passion for what you do, it will reflect in what you do.”
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