Souvenir

“We are fortunate enough to find ourselves surrounded by passionate people who do what they do with such love, integrity, and drive. We are proud to be able to try to translate that love to our customer through our food, and show them the beauty and depth of what our surroundings have to offer. We are nothing without the farmers that grow our produce, and they are nothing without the chefs who appreciate them for it. In that aspect, the community comes together around mutual trust, respect, and love for what we do.”

Dried carrots with sourdough and onions; white asparagus with rhubarb, tree shoots, and purslane; and cauliflower with verbena and garlic chives.

For Vilhjalmur Sigurdarson, an Icelandic brutalist chef in Belgium, nature is the ever-present theme in his seasonal, but constantly changing, cuisine. With Souvenir, he puts meat on the sideline and prefers to work with local, seasonal fish caught close to the coast. He maintains a sustainable and honest relationship with vegetable and dairy farmers, fishermen, and meat suppliers, all trying to minimise their impact on nature. Due to this critical thinking, Sigurdarson makes sure that the local agricultural community is evolving as well. In serving purified and nature-driven dishes, he points out that local gastronomy can be equally satisfying, responsible, balanced, and complex.