EXTRAORDINARY, EVERYDAY
What makes everyday life extraordinary?
What transforms ordinary gestures into exceptional experiences?
“Extraordinary, Everyday” explores the deep connections among people, spaces, and objects through a variety of stories, places, and projects. It delves into how relationships, ideas, and traditions intertwine, revealing unexpected inspirations. A series of episodes that highlight the values and innovative principles of Arclinea, celebrating the profound cultural significance of food and design.
GÍSLI MATT
Chef, speaker, food activist and restaurateur with Iceland in his heart and an ambition to redefine the boundaries of contemporary Icelandic cuisine. Matt is the culinary force behind the success of Slippurinn, an outstanding and unique family-run restaurant located on the Icelandic archipelago of Vestmannaeyjar’s lone inhabited island. Embracing foraged seasonal produce that conveys his passion for respectfully preserving the island’s ecology, Matt’s imaginative menus make wild herbs from the local landscape the primary focus of their dishes.
“In Icelandic culture, like in many other cultures around the world, food plays a significant role. So it's essential that we don't lose the knowledge we have, and try to uplift and celebrate it.”
FROM ICELAND TO THE WORLD AND BACK
Celebrated for adding personal flavour to local recipes passed down from one generation to the next, Matt has received accolades and recognition far beyond the archipelago’s shores. Open for the Summer season only, Slippurinn has emerged as an international culinary destination, enticing travellers from around the world. Matt dedicates the restaurant’s closed months to travel, sharing his love of Icelandic cuisine’s values, traditions, and methods of preservation with international audiences. This includes his collaboration with Arclinea, and the series of events and dinners hosted by him in the brand’s Milan showroom, where he focuses on the cultural aspects of food and cuisine.
What inspires your work and philosophy?
I am definitely inspired by the nature that surrounds us. Observing it, you can see micro-seasons within a single season, as well as the small daily changes. Running a restaurant like this is a complex job. Every day, everything has to be prepared ahead of opening time — picking the herbs, foraging, selecting the fish from the market. There is a whole amazing team making sure this is done. It creates a personal connection between them and the customers and there is so much beauty in this process, as well as in the connection with the local community. For example, if we harvest rhubarb from their gardens, in return we leave a note with an invitation to dine with us. We want to serve delicious food that is produced in an ethical way, with respect for the nature around us.
Where you live has a significant impact on how you approach cooking, but your dishes are wonderfully international. Can you describe the values that guide your recipe development?
Working abroad and getting to know different cultures has allowed me to develop my own approach to cooking, which transcends geographical boundaries. I currently travel a lot in order to champion Icelandic culinary culture. That's why cooking with Arclinea is important to me: our collaboration is based on sharing a set of common values, from preserving our traditions to connecting different cultures through food, thus creating a new sense of conviviality.
AN UNLIMITED EXPERIENCE
Matt spent his childhood summers on the island, exploring the flourishing coastline and playing with the animals. His love for this place is expressed in his desire to elevate it to new horizons, while his primary objective is to respect its habitat, which has informed his decision to offer seasonal menus realised using thoughtfully sourced wild produce. Matt and his team personally forage the herbs and seaweed, select the fish themselves, and sometimes even take part in fishing trips. These are the restaurant’s rituals, which in their repetition strengthen the roots that bind Matt to this corner of the world.
A volcanic eruption changed the biodiversity of the island. How are you embracing this new biodiversity in your recipes?
50 years ago, there was a volcanic eruption here on the island. Sadly, it destroyed a lot of farming on the island. However, since then, numerous previously unknown plants have begun to thrive here and we're using many of those plants, such as oyster leaves, the green bluish leaves that taste just like fresh oysters.
How did your experience growing up influence what you’re doing now?
When you grow up in a place, you don't always feel like it's special, but now that I've travelled abroad and seen so many different things, I can see more clearly and appreciate what is spectacular about this place.
THE IMPORTANCE OF SMALL THINGS
The Icelandic chef’s life has evolved significantly since he opened Slippurinn. It can be challenging to balance family life with running a business, so he takes any opportunity he can to involve his children in his culinary activities: often taking them with him to the market or on nature hikes. It’s not uncommon for them to pick berries for a dish in the restaurant together, taking a few handfuls home, or for Matt to receive a hug from the youngest daughter in the kitchen during the busiest part of the day, and that’s enough to bring order back.
“What's my favourite food? I could answer that it’s my grandma’s soup, but I think that food is always connected to memories in some way. So, with my family, we try to have the heart of the house in the kitchen, where everyone can share the stories of the day and enjoy the moment.”
In today’s world, what does luxury mean to you?
For me, true luxury is about finding connection to wherever you are.
How have your culinary customers changed over the years?
I think people are more conscious of what they are eating and better at acknowledging quality. Generally speaking, people are becoming increasingly conscious of the environment, but I also believe part of this is because we have been educating our visitors over the years.
“I try to use nature for inspiration instead of looking at what everybody else is doing. If you really allow yourself the time and energy to explore the outdoors, it can be so inspirational — much more so than many other things.”
