What do Ikea furniture, hand-painted wooden figurines called Dala horses and meatballs served with lingonberry jam have in common?
They are all from Sweden — and they can all be found at Taipei’s only Swedish restaurant, Flavors, a cozy establishment on an alley off Renai Road (仁愛路) that serves traditional Swedish dishes made with organic, locally grown ingredients.
Chef Ola Kronkvist owns the restaurant with his wife, Stephanie Wang (王舒妍). The couple opened the restaurant to bring Swedish food to Taiwan and create a home for themselves and their guests.
And for Kronkvist and Wang, “home” is a fair description of the restaurant where they spend almost every waking moment — and say they enjoy each day.
While both love cooking, Wang usually takes care of the guests at the restaurant and deals with suppliers, while Kronkvist is the main chef.
“I’m the husband chained to the stove,” he said with a hearty laugh.
But he’s not complaining.
“I am so happy to come to work every day,” 35-year-old Kronkvist said. “I love my job.”
“A lot of people say we under-charge, but I tell them money isn’t the motivation for this restaurant,” he said.
For Kronkvist and Wang, the real motivation was the chance to work side by side.
The couple met while studying at a hotel and restaurant school in Switzerland. Rather than the traditional approach of flowers and chocolate, Kronkvist said he wooed Wang with his culinary creations.
As a chef, Kronkvist said he believes people connect over food because “you make moments with it.”
As an example, he said, imagine offering someone a cup of tea brewed with leaves you plucked at a mountain tea plantation. A personal touch adds a whole new aspect, he said.
Wang and Kronkvist said spending a leisurely afternoon cooking a meal together was still one of their favorite activities.
And cooking is a collaborative effort. The pair go to the grocery store together and plan the cooking together.
“We discuss what we’re going to buy, what we’re going to make ... The whole process is fun,” Wang said.
But opening a restaurant was a challenge. Only about 30 percent of restaurants survive the first year and the figures go downhill from there, they said. Add to that the effects of the recession on consumers’ spending habits and you have a recipe for stressful times.
“When times are tough, it is good to have a strong team behind you — I think that’s why we’re strong, because we’re married and live a happy life together,” Kronkvist said.
Despite the daunting obstacles, Wang and Kronkvist were determined to try their hand at running a restaurant because they wanted to work for themselves and design their own work environment.
Kronkvist said he wanted a respectful and cheerful work environment. He said hotels and restaurants in Taiwan were often stressful places to work, with managers shouting at employees, who in turn are expected to continue working with a smile for the benefit of customers.
That “just doesn’t work,” Kronkvist said.
Reflecting on their experience opening a restaurant, Kronkvist said Taiwan was a good environment to start a business.
It encourages entrepreneurship, he said, although being a foreigner can add more challenges to an already long list of tasks, including registering for licenses and finding equipment and suppliers, he said.
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