The Bailliage de Rogaland had the pleasure of welcoming more than 200 guests to this year’s Grand Chapitre in the city of Stavanger. Bailli Gisle Steffensen and his team had come up with a perfect programme based in Norway’s energy capital. It was an unforgettable weekend in a city encircled by the North Sea with beaches and rural landscapes.

Stavanger is one of the oldest cities in Norway yet an international one with a great assortment of shops and restaurants. The province produces an abundance of food: fruit, vegetables, shellfish, fish, meat and cheese. This impacts the wide range of the city’s dining-out scene by being home to many gifted, internationally-known chefs!

In ‘Gamle Stavanger’ (the old part of the city) you’ll find one of Europe’s best conserved wooden houses and buildings. In 1975 the area was on UNESCO’s heritage list. In 2008 Stavanger was Europe’s Capital of Culture.

Stavanger has its own university as well as educational and research institutions. ‘Norsk Hotellhøgskole’ (Norway’s Hotel College) was established in 1912 and is the world’s second oldest high school for restaurant and hotel professions.

Friday’s get together started with an unforgettable visit to Flor & Fjære on an island in the fjord outside Stavanger. After 20 minutes by boat we landed in an incredible ocean of flowers. Our hosts showed us the gorgeous garden and shared its history. A delicious buffet followed created by Chef André Mulders inspired by the whole world. We enjoyed the occasion inside and outside in the beautiful garden until the boat took us back to the mainland later in the evening.

Saturday started with a guided tour of ‘Gamle Stavanger’. After which we enjoyed a special four course lunch at Ostehuset hosted by Maître Restaurateur Hanne Berentsen and Vice-Conseiller Culinaire Tom Helge Sørensen in cooperation with the sushi restaurant Sabi Omakase and its Michelin-starred Chef, Filipino-born Roger Joya. Another unforgettable experience!

The Induction Ceremony, presided over by Mohamed Hammam, Member of the Conseil d’Administration from Turkey, was followed by a magificent Gala Dinner in the Atlantic Hall where Maitre Rotisseur Daniel Rougé Madsen and his staff welcomed us for a splendid five-course banquet based on local produce with matching wines.

Before the lunch on Sunday the Bailliage of Rogaland invited us on a cruise on Lysefjorden, one of the most beautiful fjords in the world. On the trip we also passed the famous Preikestolen and the fabled Fantahålå.

The Grand Chapitre concluded with lunch at Fisketorget created by Maitre Rotisseur Karl Erik Pallesen and his team. Erik is a Chef on the National Team and winner of Norway TV3’s ‘Mesterkokk 2012’. Again an unforgettable experience!

Erling Risnæs
Chargé de Presse