Media release, 18 May 2021
FOR NOW: Pop-up restaurant by Victoria Eliasdóttir comes to the Fondation Beyeler
To celebrate Life, Olafur Eliasson’s site-specific installation, the Fondation Beyeler is delighted to host FOR NOW, a pop-up restaurant by Icelandic chef Victoria Eliasdóttir. For three evenings only, Victoria and her team from Berlin will welcome guests on the outdoor terrace of the “Beyeler Restaurant im Park”, offering an experience to remember with a seven-course vegetarian menu. FOR NOW is open for dinner reservations from 3 to 5 June 2021.
Most of the time, vegetables are presented as side dishes – but not on this night. Vegetables, seeds and herbs will take centre stage, displaying their bold flavours, striking colours and tangible textures. On the menu, guests may find pickled stems of lovage in a rich plate of young potatoes embraced in caramelised butter and crispy leek. Alongside local produce, Victoria Eliasdóttir will also include some of her favourite flavours of her home country Iceland, from smoked seaweed to arctic thyme. In addition, a special wine pairing as well as a small wine list, reflecting the theme of the evening will be available.
Hosting the evening, Victoria Eliasdóttir will introduce each dish of the seven-course dinner, providing some background on the ingredients and insights into her passion for food. Born in Denmark to a Swedish mother and Icelandic father, Eliasdóttir grew up to enjoy the hearty Scandinavian kitchen. When she was not yet a year old, her brother, artist Olafur Eliasson, took care of her for the summer. He had two things to achieve, completing his application for art school and preventing his sister from being hungry and crying. Both worked out – eventually. Moreover, within the last decade the siblings have often collaborated on projects, bringing together their expertise and love for food and art.
“We open our doors and hearts to people who are curious and hungry for new culinary experiences,” says Eliasdóttir. “Step into our world for a night and make yourself at home. We will fill you with delicious flavors and surround you with our love and passion for honest food, art, and community.”
Situated within the peaceful surroundings of the Fondation Beyeler park, the pop-up restaurant will be open from Thursday, 3 June to Saturday, 5 June 2021. Dinner starts at 6.30pm each evening. Due to current Covid19 restrictions, table and space capacity is limited and reservations have to be made in
advance. To book a table, please visit shop.fondationbeyeler.ch.
Menu Seven-course menu including welcome drink – 165 CHF Seven- course menu including welcome drink and wine pairing – 230 CHF
Guests are invited to see the exhibition Life prior and post dinner.
About the chef Victoria Eliasdóttirs father, who was also a chef, introduced her to good food at an early age. After her training, Eliasdóttir started out by taking over a summer restaurant in the south of Iceland, where she served local trout and tomatoes from the farm next door to tourists and curious farmers. In 2012, she headed to Berkeley for a four-month period at “Chez Panisse”, where her ambitions shifted to looking for a deeper meaning in cooking. She moved to Berlin and cooked lunch daily at Studio Olafur Eliasson, her brother’s art studio, until the offer came to run her own kitchen again.
For two years, Eliasdóttir steered the ship of the “dóttir” restaurant in Berlin along with the restauranteurs Stephan Landwehr, Moritz Estermann and Boris Radczun.
In 2018 Victoria activated the “SOE Kitchen” of Studio Olafur Eliasson at the Reykjavik harbor. A project close to her heart as Victoria Eliasdóttir was raised in Iceland and had fond memories of playing at the docks in Reykjavík waiting for her father to come to shore – Elias Hjörleifsson, the siblings’ father, was an aspiring artist who worked as a chef on a fishing boat. It is safe to say that Hjörleifsson’s adoration lives on, through the offspring. In 2019 Eliasdóttir and Maren Beckmann created a hidden space in the eastern heart of Berlin, that humbly celebrated the good things in life. Eliasdóttir served the finest quality seafood accompanied with local vegetables and wild herbs prepared with a Scandinavian touch.
Through the years, Victoria has put great focus on private and exclusive events as she finds the challenge that comes with a new client, new location and new concept to be especially inspiring and motivating.
About the Fondation Beyeler The Fondation Beyeler is a museum of modern and contemporary art in Riehen/Basel. The museum building by Renzo Piano is located in an idyllic park and surrounded by historic houses and old trees. It houses an outstanding art collection, comprising over 400 works of classical modern and contemporary art. The Fondation Beyeler is the most visited art museum in Switzerland. It is internationally known for its high- quality exhibitions and cultural events. Until July, Life, Olafur Eliasson’s first site-specific installation will be on show. For more information on the exhibition, please visit life.fondationbeyeler.ch.
About the “Beyeler Restaurant im Park” At the end of 2019, the “Beyeler Restaurant im Park” reopened under a new name and with a new look by Spanish design studio Casa Muñoz creating an exciting dialogue between the historic character of the house and the contemporary interior design. Under the new management of Helen Dienel and head chef Philip Dollinger, the culinary concept was also revised, with an emphasis on a seasonal and local menu.
Further information: Dorothee Dines Head of PR & Media Relations Tel. +41 (0)61 645 97 21, [email protected], www.fondationbeyeler.ch Fondation Beyeler, Beyeler Museum AG, Baselstrasse 77, CH-4125 Riehen
Life by Olafur Eliasson is open at all times of the day and night. Between 9am and 9pm, visitors are asked to book a time slot at shop.fondationbeyeler.ch.