Get to Know Some of Vesterålen’s Chefs
Vesterålen is home to several outstanding chefs, each with their own style – strong personalities dedicated to their craft.
Kvitnes Gård
Top ratings and glowing reviews have been awarded to Kvitnes Gård and one of Norway’s leading chefs, Head Chef Halvar Ellingsen – known from the NRK TV series Kokkeliv, the Norwegian Culinary Team, and as a former national champion. He makes the most of the ingredients found in the region, much of it sourced from his own farm or even picked from a neighbour’s garden. This is truly local, short-travelled food, deeply rooted in tradition – and guaranteed to deliver unique dining experiences.
“Good things take time to become good, and we look forward to showing you the proof of that,”
— Halvar Ellingsen
Halvar was named Farmers’ Association Chef of the Year in 2019 and won the Norwegian Food Prize (Matprisen) in 2020. The jury praised him for being “uncompromising in reducing the distance from farm to table and choosing production methods that are kind to the planet, while serving food of world-class quality.” In 2021, the Norwegian Chefs’ Association awarded Halvar the title Chef of the Year, and in 2022, Kvitnes Gård won the Nordic Food Tradition category at the Embla Nordic Food Awards.
Ekspedisjonen, Nyksund
At the very edge of the open sea in Nyksund, you’ll find Ekspedisjonen, run by Ringo Haupt and his wife Monja Fischer. Ringo blends traditional Northern Norwegian cuisine with continental influences, creating gourmet dishes of exceptional quality. He is deeply committed to food that reflects the place where it is served. In 2002, Ringo competed in Arctic Chef, winning a bronze medal, and he is widely regarded as one of Norway’s finest stockfish chefs.
Celebrity chef Bent Stiansen once said after a visit to Nyksund:
“An amazing location, with the best cod I have ever eaten.”
Norway’s perhaps most famous chef, Eyvind Hellstrøm, has also praised Haupt’s fish dishes highly.
