Ari Lampiaho

I’ve been in the restaurant industry for 23 years. I began my career back in 1987 at the Meri-Yyteri Hotel. I graduated from Porvoo Commercial College as a restaurant cook in 1991. After that, I toured Southern and Western Finland until 1999, when I moved to Ireland. There, I worked with other European chefs and cooks at the Brook Lodge Hotel, which had specialised in organic produce and game. It was chosen as one of the best restaurant hotels in Ireland, 2000–2001. Game and the bounty of the forests have been a core part of my cooking ever since.

From 2001, I was a chef at the Hiekkaharju Manor, where my creativity had free reign and I could learn more about game. I also helped local hunting associations butcher their meat. In 2008, I returned to Satakunta with my family, to bring my professional skills back to my home district.