solar kitchen restaurant by martí guixé and antto melasniemi returns to lisbon, portugal

Solar Kitchen Restaurant makes comeback in Portugal

Back in 2011, Catalan designer Martí Guixé and Finnish food visionary Antto Melasniemi launched the Solar Kitchen Restaurant for Lapin Kulta in Helsinki. After ten years, the initiative, which has new relevance in light of the current energy crisis, will return for a lecture at the Congresso dos Cozinheiros in Lisbon, to educate on the connection between solar energy and cooking and to introduce a whole new tasting experience.

the Solar Kitchen Restaurant for Lapin Kulta in Helsinki

all images courtesy of Imagekontainer/ Inga Knölke, unless stated otherwise

cooking with sun around the globe

Rethinking the perception of food and drink in relation to nature, the Solar Kitchen Restaurant is based on a kitchen concept where the food will be cooked using only alternative energy: the sun. ‘Cooking with the sun is entirely different from traditional cooking. It takes place outdoors, – with sunglasses – is weather-dependent, and requires flexibility not only from the cook but also from the diners.’ Martí Guixé shares. ‘Moreover, concentrating heat through the parabola affects the food differently than standard sources of heat and positively influences the texture and flavor of the food.’

The restaurant offers non-conventional experiences not only in cooking but also in eating. On days with sunshine, the kitchen is able to serve a barbecue, while on days with less fair weather, the restaurant can serve salads and whatever else can be prepared without sunlight, but with bright light and mild temperatures. Additionally, the restaurant tests the flexibility and adaptability of its customers by requiring them to reschedule and suffer with delays if it rains.

Since 2011, the kitchen has traveled throughout Finland, stopping for extended pop-up stays at the Abattoir and the former fishing harbor Kalatasama in Helsinki. Sweden, Japan, Alaska, and Israel were among the international pit stops. Now, on the occasion of the Congresso dos Cozinheiros in Lisbon, the Catalan industrial designer and the Finnish food visionary will discuss the initiative, which combines a gourmet restaurant with an environmental and gastronomic art project and emphasizes three key contemporary themes: a nature-driven process, flexibility, and immediacy.

Martí Guixé and Antto Melasniemi assesses sky conditions before cooking