28th
Dóra Svavarsdóttir on Running a Vegetarian Restaurant in Iceland, After the Crash
Last week I interviewed Dóra Svavarsdóttir, chef and owner of Á Næstu Grösum (First Vegetarian). This restaurant is famous for being Bill Clinton’s and Quentin Tarantino’s favorite restaurant in the world. Or, at least, for having an advertisement that jokingly states that.
With Iceland only able to import limited amounts of food now, I thought Iceland’s vegetarian restaurants would be the first to suffer, since homegrown Icelandic food doesn’t seem to be very vegetarian. Let’s take a trip to Á Næstu Grösum and see how it’s holding up.
Adopt an Icelander: When did you start Á Næstu Grösum?
Dóra Svavarsdóttir: Me and the other owner have had this place since 1999, but it was founded in that same location 1975.
AAI: Back then, was there a strong demand for a vegetarian restaurant? Or was it an anomaly at first?
Dóra: In 1975, it was the post-hippies who started it, but it seems to have survived through the years, and now we have been fairly popular with business men and women, instructors and students alike.
AAI: So the restaurant grew more popular with time?
Dóra: Fortunately, yes, but sometimes veggies places are more in fashion.
AAI: Are your customers mostly vegetarians, or non-vegetarians who like to eat vegetarian food?
Dóra: The Icelandic crowd is mostly non-vegetarians (I wouldn’t survive if my only customers were local vegetarians - they are not that many). The foreigners are probably 50/50.
AAI: What is the usual ratio of foreigners compared to Icelander customers?
Dóra: In the winter time, 70 percent Icelanders and 30 percent foreigners. In the summertime, it is the opposite.
AAI: Is it difficult for traveling vegans and vegetarians to get a true taste of local cuisine when they go to a new country? For instance, could someone who can’t eat animal products get a real sense of what Icelandic food is like?
Dóra: There are no traditional Icelandic veggie dishes besides rutabaga mash and potato mash, rhubarb jam and similar things.
AAI: Are there vegetarian restaurants in Iceland outside of Reykjavik?
Dóra: There is one in Akureyri that is purely vegetarian, and more restaurants are becoming veggie friendly.
AAI: Does your restaurant still have a lot of customers, or has the economic crisis changed that?
Dóra: Everything is slower now, people have less money on their hands. Lots of people had loans in foreign currency, and now the payments each month have doubled in a year, some cases even more. But the good thing is, finally it is possible for tourists to come to Iceland; it is half price compared to last year, so come on up.
AAI: In some cases, vegetarian food is cheaper than meat, and thus an economic crisis would force more people closer to a vegetarian lifestyle. But that may not be the case in Iceland. Do you think this crisis will be good or bad for vegetarianism in Iceland?
Dóra: I don’t know yet. It has happened really quickly, so it remains to be seen. At this moment, we don’t really know what our krona is worth, so we have no idea how much things cost once they have been transferred to Iceland.
AAI: Are you having trouble stocking supplies?
Dóra: All imports are on halt at the moment, so yes. Now I’m calling my wholesalers, asking what they have got available. Some did stock up, others are worse. The problem is that even companies that have the money, kronas, can’t exchange it to euros or dollars to pay their suppliers overseas. And all our money transfers are stuck somewhere. Having the Brits use their terrorist act to freeze all Icelandic money hasn’t helped at all… but that is a long and complicated story.
AAI: So Iceland will have to rely more on its local foods? Does that include much vegetarian food?
Dóra: We do grow potatoes, tomatoes, cucumber, carrots, lettuce, cauliflower (even though early frost has finished that off for this year), barley, some paprika and herbs. That is about it. One of the things that has been bad for our horticulture is that imported veggies were so much cheaper. The cost of growing is more (seeds being more expensive, as well as fertilizer, and so on). So now finally they can compete in prices. Our typical Icelandic food is fish and lamb. We farm chicken, beef and pigs as well, and are nearly self sufficient there.
AAI: Do you like Icelandic food?
Dóra: I’m a chef because I love food - all types.
AAI: Are you worried about your restaurant? Will Á Næstu Grösum survive this crisis?
Dóra: I’m concerned about my restaurant, yes. Every little aspect of its running has to be reviewed, and I can only get through this by keeping up the hard work and doing my very best, along with my fantastic staff. There will be spring after this hard, hard winter.
AAI: What about the rest of Reykjavik? Is there less partying now on the weekends? How has the economic crisis affected the Rúntur?
Dóra: People are partying a lot. Loads of entertainers are throwing free shows just to get a more positive attitude into people. And according to the sound of spinning wheels outside my window last weekend, then no, it’s not affecting the Rúntur.
AAI: Otherwise, what is the mood in Reykjavik?
Dóra: It is strange, but two weeks ago was Airwaves, a very big music festival held all over downtown, so that was a good party and lifted the spirit up somewhat. People are in a shock, but everybody is in the same raft. If we are going to get through this, we have to stay positive. We have seen earthquakes, avalanches have wiped out whole villages, and we have survived all that. After all, this is only money.
