{"id":4326,"date":"2023-05-31T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-05-31T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inrikesmagasin.se\/?p=4326"},"modified":"2024-01-10T14:10:14","modified_gmt":"2024-01-10T14:10:14","slug":"tina-nordstrom-pulls-down-her-cap-and-coughs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inrikesmagasin.se\/en\/tina-nordstrom-drar-ner-kepsen-och-kor-pa\/","title":{"rendered":"Tina Nordstr\u00f6m pulls down her cap and goes for it"},"content":{"rendered":"
Food inspirationist, cookbook author, presenter \u2013 you name it. Everything Tina Nordstr\u00f6m does is \u201dj\u00e4ttegott\u201d (very tasty) and great, and is performed with a big smile and enormous energy. Ever since she made her breakthrough sometime in the early 2000s, she has been immensely popular.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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We always have a lot of balls in the air at the same time. Out of ten, one lands. That's a bit what it's like to be self-employed.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
When INRIKES reaches chef Tina Nordstr\u00f6m by phone, she is on her way to Mariefred. She is in the middle of filming Hela Sverige bakar, but is currently on a break. This year, the filming is taking place at Ulriksdal Castle. But there's no staying in castle chambers for Tina. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2013 My dog Bonnie and I are currently living in a caravan, she says, laughing her clear and infectious laugh, referring to the springer spaniel that we can sometimes glimpse fleetingly in the background of the programme. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The recording period is intense. The regular All of Sweden bakes and the celebrity version are being recorded one after another. And according to the presenter, there will be a lot of travelling between their home just outside Helsingborg and the recording location in Solna. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat\u2019s how I always manage, she says cheerfully, adding that she probably doesn\u2019t work any harder than the rest of us.\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2013 I think I actually work less. Some periods require a huge amount from me. Then I step back, work less and can relax and manage my own time. It was the same when I worked seasonally in the pub. You go into a kind of \u201dcap down and go for it\u201d feeling, she adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\nPhoto: Freddy Billqvist<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Exercise is important<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
She means that it's the same in most things that she does. Not least when it comes to training, which is an important part of Tina's life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2013 Then I'll pull down my cap and go for it \u2013 I'm like a bulldozer. That's how I want it and I feel very good about it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Besides building a strong body that can withstand strain, training has also been a way for me to clear my head. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2013 I go inside myself, it's a bit like meditating. I rarely listen to anything when I exercise; instead I'm just in the forest or wherever I happen to be. I need it, she says, and explains that the previous evening she took her dumbbells and tiptoed into the Hela Sverige bakar tent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2013 I used to work out there and people walking past outside probably wondered: \u201dIsn't that that Mat-Tina person over there wheezing?\u201d I make a lot of noise when I exercise \u2013 I'm a groaner, she says and laughs again, that lovely laugh. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tina often bursts into laughter and is quick to crack a joke. The smile has been part of her trademark since she broke through sometime after the turn of the millennium in the SVT programme \u201dMat\u201d (Food), where Tomas Tengby was the presenter. It was also then that she coined her well-known catchphrase \u201dj\u00e4ttegott\u201d (delicious). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Based in Spritan<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
When Tina isn't on TV or writing her next cookbook, she and her business partner, chef Benny Cederberg, can be found in their relatively new premises, \u201dSpritan,\u201d in \u00d6d\u00e5kra, just outside Helsingborg. In an old, disused spirit factory, they have created a kitchen with mobile benches and furniture, sound-absorbing panels on the ceiling, and lighting, among other things, so that the venue can also function as a recording studio. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2013 We always have a lot of balls in the air at the same time. Out of ten, one lands. That's kind of what it's like to be self-employed. Right now, there's something in the pipeline related to the USA. But for now, there's uncertainty about whether it will happen, and she doesn't want to reveal any more than that. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
When they have collaborations with different companies, it's not just about external visibility. She mentions Sk\u00e5nemejerier as an example where they also talk to the company internally and share their expertise. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
They are certainly not short of assignments. When one finishes, another one starts. But they also turn down quite a lot. And it's important that the things they choose to do feel right and sit well with them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
- I often think about what the different projects can yield in the long run. And I make sure that we are kept busy all the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\nPhoto: Freddy Billqvist<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Champagne dinner with Fredrik Schelin<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
In August, they will for the first time invite people in a new way to Spritan. Together with champagne expert Fredrik Schelin, they are arranging a dinner for the public. Registration is required, of course, as the number of places is limited. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2013 It's a new baby for us. Fredrik Schelin has done it before, but even though Benny and I have worked in the restaurant business for many years, we've never invited people in this way. She says she has butterflies in her stomach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tina and Benny are cooking and Fredrik is pouring the champagne \u2013 there will be a total of seven courses. Fredrik wants to show that champagne goes with all types of food, as long as you choose the right one. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2013 Benny and I think about food in the same way. For example, we can elevate a celery to heavenly heights \u2013 it can be cold, hot, with brown butter, nettles, or anything else. Our cooking relies heavily on few ingredients, but with very good combinations. And it's exciting when you have someone like Fredrik Schelin with his champagne at dinner. I love geekiness, and that's what this is about, she explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As siblings<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Benny and Tina met over 25 years ago when they were both working at the same restaurant. Their paths then diverged. Tina started in television and Benny continued working in restaurants and was the team leader for the Swedish National Culinary Team. But just over ten years ago, they bumped into each other again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2013 Tina wanted us to do something for the grocery trade together, and since then we've been working together, Benny says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although it is mainly Tina who is seen on television, on Instagram or fronting cookbooks, she is careful to highlight Benny's important part in most of what she \u2013 or they \u2013 do. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It's the two of us doing things together. We do the books, pick out wine, and everything else. I'm a figurehead, and it's often quite exhausting to be seen, heard, and keep the energy levels up. <\/p>\n\n\n\nPhoto: Freddy Billqvist<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
He's always there in the background, helping with the driving force and structuring of the projects. If Tina, for example, is going to hold a lecture about cooking, it means she needs to be able to deliver meaningful talk while simultaneously cooking the food. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2013 It's incredibly demanding, so he's there in the background, enjoying it. What's more, he's fantastic with food and is scarily meticulous. I'm everywhere, spitting out ideas. The train is always on the go, and he's the net that catches them. To top it all off, he's a sommelier. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Over the years, Tina and Benny have grown together and are almost like siblings. They work together, travel together, and are well aware of each other's habits and quirks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2013 And when we talk about food, we finish each other's sentences. Sometimes it's almost scary how we can pick up on each other's thoughts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
- What Benny and I do is incredibly creative. It's free and wonderful \u2013 we laugh a lot every day. We are two grown adults who are constantly striving for new goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To be accessible to all<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Since Tina burst onto the scene, she's released thirteen cookbooks, some of them with Benny. A common thread throughout all of them is that she created them with the intention of them being accessible to everyone. Tina is down-to-earth and doesn't put on airs and graces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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I always work backwards, meaning that I start with how much the book can cost and then decide which paper to use, the cover, and so on.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
\u2013 I always calculate backwards, meaning that I start with how much the book is allowed to cost and then decide from that what paper to use, the cover, and so on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
She thinks the same way regarding the wine that bears her name. Just as the books should be accessible to everyone, she wants to make good wine that pairs with everything. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2013 The latest one we released, Barberan (Tina Piemonte Barbera, editorial note) has all the quirks that suit our personalities: it's down-to-earth \u2013 it's not a pretentious grape. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It has also been about the price, finding the best wine at a cost that makes it affordable for many to buy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2013 Selecting the wine is a pleasurable task. We have travelled in Italy and our partner, Giertz, is attentive and fun to work with.<\/p>\n\n\n\nPhoto: Freddy Billqvist<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Raw food is a favourite<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
In the latest cookbook, K\u00e4ka gott m\u00e5nad f\u00f6r m\u00e5nad, Tina cooks food that is in season, focusing on nature and accessible ingredients. Each month has its own chapter with tips on what to fill your pantry with and what is good for freezing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2013 If we look at May (when the interview took place, editor's note), we make a lot of butter so that we have enough for all the summer's barbecue dishes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Each chapter contains everyday food, and the book is both narrow and broad; for example, there is a whole chapter on wild garlic and another on lumpfish roe, as well as plenty of raw food \u2013 there is some raw food for every month. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2013 I grew up on that. When Grandma served food, it was raw grated carrots, vinegar, sugar and water, simple. And then I started camping with the Danish Berit Nordstrand, who spoke about the structure of the intestines and how important raw food is. We should eat it before the meal so that the intestines absorb what they need. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Har du tips p\u00e5 bra sommarmat? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2013 I think one should try some compound butters, salads and sauces. If you have those, you'll manage the summer, and then you can have whatever protein you want with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tina Nordstr\u00f6m<\/strong>\n \nAge:<\/strong> 49 years \nFamily<\/strong> Maken Martin Holmqvist, children Albin and Elise, and two dogs \nOccupation<\/strong> Chef, food inspirer and entrepreneur and TV presenter\nHas done and is doing: Competed in \u00c5rets Kock, been part of the Swedish national culinary team and competed in the Olympics, won Let's Dance, presented on TV4 for Hela Sverige bakar, releases wine under own name in collaboration with Giertz Vinimport \nLatest cookbook<\/strong> Eat Well Month by Month, published by The Book Affair\nInstagram account<\/strong> mat_tina<\/a><\/pre>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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