For Jennie Wallén, dinner is more than the last meal of the day – it is a meeting place, a source of inspiration and a part of her life. A local kitchen contains stories about history, geography, culture and people, and at home, dinner is still the place where the family gathers.
I have so many fond memories from the world's different cuisines and I think that's why I've always loved food.
She has always been the one who cooked. Even when Jennie Walldén lived in a student dormitory, she was the one who threw dinners for her friends and was asked when there was a birthday party or party. Cooking has followed her throughout her life – from the family dinner table and the world's different cuisines to restaurants, cookbooks and television. And it is still dinner that is closest to her.
– Dinner is the most wonderful meal of the day, regardless of whether it's a weekday, weekend or party, says Jennie when INRIKES meets via Zoom. Most often when you invite someone to a party, it's dinner that you offer.
On a daily basis, dinner is the only meal when the whole family can eat together. Most of the time in
anyway. Jennie says she has drawn inspiration from the world's cuisines after living in many different places. Before she started cooking full-time, she trained in marketing in Sweden and London, and she has also lived in Italy. She has traveled a lot in Asia and has lived in South Korea for long periods. She was born there and moved to Sweden at the age of six, where she was adopted by a Swedish family.
– I have so many fond memories from the world's different cuisines and I think that's why I've always loved food.
Despite her love of cooking, she had no plans to become a chef until later in life. She began her professional career as a marketing manager and brand manager at large food companies. In 2013, she was persuaded by family and friends to participate in Sweden's Master Chef. She won the competition and her life changed forever.
Today she is a chef, cookbook author, TV personality and restaurateur. Together with her husband Jonas, she runs the restaurant Namu and the cocktail bar Gaji in Malmö. She has more than half a million followers on social media and has published several cookbooks over the years. But despite all her professional assignments, home dinners are still a natural part of her everyday life. Who cooks at home?
– It's always me. I think it's fun and I don't think it's difficult to find something to eat.
I whip up a dinner very quickly and uncomplicatedly. If someone else in the family is going to do it, it becomes a much bigger project. Then that person can spend their time doing something else that I'm not so good or fast at. Like vacuuming for example, hehe. It's easy to understand that her relationship with food has also become a job. The question is how to combine a restaurant, a business, cookbooks, TV and social media.
– I married the right man, Jennie answers and laughs. We have our companies together and we run everything together. We started the company together right after I won Sweden's Master Chef and we pretty quickly realized that we are good at different things that complement each other. So when it comes to the entrepreneurial part, it is primarily my husband Jonas who runs it, while I work more with the creative and media parts. When it comes to the restaurant, we obviously have a lot of staff because we can't run such a large restaurant by ourselves. Our staff has large areas of responsibility. Our head chef is also a co-owner. We are an incredibly good team that works very well together.
What has been important in building a restaurant that lasts over time?
– This year marks eleven years since we started the restaurant. Our restaurant manager and head chef have been with us since day one. We don't have a particularly high turnover of staff. For us, it's a lot about following the philosophy that everyone should feel like they're doing an important job and that they're contributing. I think that many restaurants are very top-down managed, and then I think it's difficult to get motivated people to stay for a long time. When Jennie creates new dishes, however, trends are rarely the rule. The most important source of inspiration is found on the road, at local dining tables.
Where do you start when you need to find inspiration for a new dish?
– It's very different, but mostly when I'm traveling. Of course, I also get a lot of inspiration from going to different kinds of restaurants. Like many others, I also look for inspiration on social media, but I find that it often gets quite monotonous there, especially with different TikTok trends that mean that many people cook the same things. What is it about a local cuisine that captivates you? – I think the food people eat in different places in the world is incredibly exciting because it says so much about that country and its people, their culture, lifestyle, but also about nature and the climate.
Food is a cultural and historical expression. And also a geographical expression. It tells you both what can be grown in that region and what the climate is like there throughout the year. How much money people have had throughout history, how much time they have been able to spend on cooking. What kind of taste palette the local population has and why they have it and what influences they have had from other countries, such as invasions, colonization and so on. So for me, food is so much more than what you put in your mouth. Food for me is history, geography and culture and biology. The international perspective is also in her professional background. Before Sweden's Master Chef, Jennie worked in marketing in the food industry.
VWhat have your years in the food industry given you that you benefit from today?
– I worked as a marketing manager at Orkla Foods, among other things, and I was also a brand manager at Unilever, always in food. Having worked in that industry for so long has meant that I have a good knowledge base that perhaps many colleagues in the industry I work in today lack. I know and understand a lot about the technical aspects of the food industry. You work with many different things.
What drives you?
– I don't do anything stepmotherly, as they say. When I do something, I do it one hundred and eighty – right down to the tile. I usually joke and say that every time I do a cookbook, I've almost burned myself out because I work so hard on each book.
How do you find time to stop?
– I've become good at taking long summer vacations. I used to keep posting on social media all year round. But now I take a break in the summer. When she herself describes what has made the biggest difference in her career, she returns to two things: dedication and quality control.
VWhat do you think has been your most important strength?
– I think what I have in common with many different people in different industries is dedication and quality control. I never leave anything that is not top notch. This means that I put a lot of work into everything that I have to deliver, whether it is to a client or to myself. But there is nothing unique about me, there are many people like that in all industries everywhere.
Jennie is silent for a second, looks to the side and thinks before continuing:
– I have very good taste. As a Swede, you may not be allowed to say that about yourself, but I have actually learned, you actually get to, that you don't have to live in Jante all the time. She laughs and says in conclusion:
– I'm good at adding flavors and I'm also good at analyzing flavors and knowing what works. To be able to cook a really good dish, you need to have all those components that harmonize with each other. If you miss anything, the dish will get in the way and it won't be good.
Food is a cultural and historical expression. And also a geographical expression. It tells you both what can be grown in that region and what the climate is like there throughout the year.
I have worked hard for years to create dishes and recipes that people can actually succeed with at home. I get a kick out of the fact that those who follow my recipes cook delicious meals that invite you to wonderful dinners at home. That is perhaps also where her own definition of a successful dinner lies: in the fact that it actually turns out. That it can be cooked, that the flavors work and that people gather around the same table.
In the new cookbook Dinner with Jennie Walldén, dinner is the focus. Here you will find inspiration for both everyday life and parties – with the goal of making it possible to cook delicious food at home.
3 FAVORITE PLACES IN SWEDEN
”"I love the sea so I have to name three different places that are by the sea. I'll start with Bohuslan, it is incredibly beautiful. I enjoy the barren, beautiful slightly salt-splashed landscape. I have sailed in the Bohuslän archipelago a few
times and it was magical. No summer without a visit to the Bohuslän coast.”
”"As a native of Skåne, I have to say Österlen. The whole of Österlen is fantastic, partly with the white beaches, partly inland with all the beautiful hills. The light on Österlen is very special and incredibly beautiful. There is a lot going on in Österlen, still from Easter until the summer is over. There are also lots of good places to eat there.”
”I think there is a lot of beautiful things to discover in Malmo. I live there and I think Malmö has grown as a city and every year it becomes a better city all the time. I think it is a cool and exciting city that is still accessible. There are cool places, lots of good food and cool areas to wander around in. Plus, it is close to Copenhagen so Malmö feels very international.”
3 QUICK
Reading: ”"I read and listen to audiobooks. One book I really want to recommend is Meat by David Szalay."”
Trains: ”"I box, four sessions a week. I don't box against other people, but I box against a bag and then there are other exercises that are a bit like circuit training."”
Watching: ”I love the Korean movie The Handmaiden.”
JENNIE WALLDÉN
Age: 50
Bor Malmo
Occupation Chef, cookbook author, TV chef, restaurateur and social media profile.
Family Husband Jonas and two children, 17 and 19 years old.
Background in brief: She made a name for herself when she won Sweden's Master Chef in 2013. She has published several cookbooks, including Flavors in my heart, Asian flavors: Disappearingly delicious and easy to cook, Lots of flavor in no time - Asian deliciousness in 10, 20 and 30 minutes, Wok, rice, noodles, Noodles and SMAK. Together with her husband Jonas, she runs the restaurant Namu and the cocktail bar Gaji in Malmö. Jennie is also the founder of Uma sauces.
Currently with: The new cookbook Dinner with Jennie Walldén (Polaris).
