Jaakko Sorsa

My name is Jaakko Sorsa. I’m a typical Finlander that every morning cheerfully goes to work in Hong-Kong. And I’m also an Executive Chef at Nordic FINDS restaurant & bar, but there are much more interesting things you can learn about me.

My Homeland is Finland. I spent my childhood in the area called ‘Finnish Lakeland’. The name alone evokes a range of associations and fantasies related to nature. It was in Kuopio where I felt the reality.  I felt nature and culinary and I will never forget those feelings. Fishing, foraging, obtaining wild game from hunters. Nordic life as it is.

All these images have been securely imprinted on my memory.

I’m 42. I’ve been working as a chef for already 20 years. Nice anniversary, isn’t it? Usually, people celebrate 20 years since they got married, or something like this. And why not to celebrate the day, when you found your lifework, which you fall in love every day with, and only rarely hate. The same is when you’re in love with someone, isn’t it?

Speaking about love… Recently I’ve been invited to Tokyo to cater a Finnish dinner for Princess Takamado of Japan. I created the best dishes of Finnish cuisine for her. What’s that got to do with love? — you might ask. I just love treating members of royal families! I was involved in private dinners for Crown Prince and Princess of Denmark, Princess of Sweden and the Royal Family of Saudi-Arabia.

For the past 20 years, I’ve worked in different kitchens. I used to be a chef in South Lebanon, Fiji Islands and Bermuda. And I moved to Hong-Kong 10 years ago, in 2014.

But let’s come back to the past. I started taking interest in culinary when I was a child. I watched closely my grandmother Ida creating magic in her kitchen. And I wondered, why her food was tastier than others’. I began to learn about small details in techniques and about ways of using fine natural ingredients.

As for the food, there are 3 things that I love: seafood, everything what’s pickled and slightly smoked food. Meat, butter, caviare, sea urchin, vegetables — there are lots of things that can be smoked, and I love this.

In Hong Kong, I live on an island with my beautiful wife, away from busy areas. In the morning, I can hear birds singing and in the evening I can feel mosquitoes biting. Listening to songs of birds, I like to take a walk to a deserted pier, sit there and wake up slowly. And to enjoy the nature. Then it’s time for Finnish sauna. Upon that, I drink coffee and travel to my favourite work.

For those who will read this — let’s share! Let’s share new ingredients and new discoveries in culinary.  I’m open for communication and will gladly share my recipes with you!

The dish I would like to share now is Salmon Four Ways. It’s a selected one, for real gourmands. Your stomach will be never over-loaded, but you can enjoy it feeling the combination of tastes with your receptors that will be a bit shocked.  Pleasantly, of course.