The Bailliage gathered in Sundsvall on the first weekend of September for this year’s Grand Chapitre.

The city is located in the middle of Sweden with a long history of being an important place for business and good food. In 1888 fire destroyed the town however, being such an important place for the international wood industry, Sundsvall was quickly rebuilt to serve the needs of the time.

Learning from the experience stone became the main construction material. One of the most important places was the legendary Hotel Knaust, part of the gastronomic high ground of Europe in the 19th century.

This year´s Grand Chapitre weekend began with an informal get-together. The programme commenced at the restaurant “180 Degrees”. Located on a mountain south of the city centre the views were magnificent.

On Saturday members and guests could choose from either lunch at Lörudden, a famous fishermen’s camp, where our member restaurant “Sillmans” and Maître Rôtisseur Kenneth Sillman gave us an excellent performance and food experience. The alternative was a tour of the Sundsvall stone city centre featuring local actors playing roles of famous local people.

The Gala Dinner was held at the aforementioned legendary Hotel Knaust. Both kitchen and service more than lived up to our expectations giving us a world-class gourmet experience worthy of the hotel’s history. Just ask anyone who was there.

Before the dinner the Induction Ceremony was held in the Sundsvall Town Hall. René Kamber, Member of the Conseil Magistral from Switzerland, was the “Maître de Cérémonie”.

Needless to say there was a festive feeling in the air the whole weekend especially on Sunday when National Bailliage’s annual members’ meeting was held followed by a farewell lunch.

Having started the Grand Chapitre on a southern mountain, the conclusion was located on the northern one. Our member restaurant Grankotten (fir cone), with Maître Rôtisseur Mikael Thunholm, provided an excellent lunch. We could honestly say that we finished on top!

Anna Wachtmeister
Bailli Honoraire