GASTRONOMI
Cultural heritage and terroir –
The excitement of the grand opening had barely subsided when I visited Poul Andrias Ziska in his restaurant, PAZ, in Tórshavn, just two weeks after opening night.
The appointment was facilitated by
Ragnhild Hjalmarsdóttir Højgaard (also mentioned in bookazine 13), whose art, made of local wool, adorn the walls of the restaurant.
Form HÅNDVÆRK bookazine no. 13
Poul Andrias Ziska, b.1990
Trained as a chef at Koks, Faroe Islands
Former executive chef at Koks
Founder of restaurant PAZ in Tórshavn, which opened in April 2025
Poul is friendly and relaxed, but underneath the surface, there is tension, he shares.
We talk about this common reaction after a long and fast-paced run to a coveted finishing line.
The rest of the world has not changed – only your own. It is difficult to touch down, and it takes all your experience and courage to trust that everything will be alright.
‘After all, you need guests to run a restaurant,’ he says.
What is your goal with this place? I ask, with ill-concealed awe – I am sitting across from a man who has earned two Michelin stars during his time as executive chef at Koks.
Poul’s humble reply is that first of all, he has to have a job.
Okay, let’s start somewhere else – when did you realize that fine dining was the stage where you could play your part?
‘I ended up in the restaurant business by chance. I was 14 years old and needed to find something to do. I knew I was not going be an academic. I got a part-time job at a pizza restaurant.
After some time, I decided this was the right field for me. I wanted to learn from the best, so I applied for and secured an apprenticeship at Gourmet, the first fine-dining restaurant on the Faroe Islands.
It was far ahead of its time and closed down in 2009.
After the closure, the entire team moved to Hotel Føroyar, where Koks was founded. I completed my training there in 2012.
In 2014, after a couple of years as a fully trained chef, working both on the Faroe Islands and in Copenhagen, I was offered the job as executive chef of Koks – and then we moved back home.’
2017 Koks under the leadership of Poul Andrias Ziska is awarded its first Michelin star
2018 Koks moves to a scenic location in Leynavatn, 25 km outside Tórshavn
2019 Koks receives two Michelin stars
2022–2024 Koks closes temporarily on the Faroe Islands and pops up in Ilimanaq, Greenland
2025 Whether Koks will reopen remains uncertain
Poul speaks enthusiastically about the summers in Greenland, but during the winters there, he felt that he was in limbo.
And then there is the family aspect – his wife and their two youngest children loved everything about the Greenlandic adventure and could easily see themselves spending a year or two there, while his teenaged son would rather return home.
He adds,
‘As I gradually realized that Koks was not going to reopen anytime soon, I began to consider the alternatives – and the idea of going into business for myself was born.
I know that much of the Faroese food scene is operated by corporations. Seen in that light, it must take extraordinary courage to open an independent restaurant?
‘Or a great deal of naivety,’ he says with a smile.
‘The two corporations that run most of the hotels and restaurants have done a lot of good for the gastro scene.
Koks would never have existed, had it not been for Gist & Vist under Jóhannes Jensen’s leadership.
But,’ he says, ‘something else happens when it’s the chef who owns and runs the restaurant – and I would like to explore that.’
And you never doubted that Tórshavn would be the right place for your restaurant?
‘No. I was born and raised here. We have our families here.
My wife’s sisters and her children, who are the same ages as ours, live within walking distance.
We live five minutes from the restaurant, and my family can join the staff meal here every day.
No, I never had any doubts.
You have to take the rainy days and darkness in your stride – those are the worst parts.
Some days, it’s also the best and the greatest – calm and nice.’
‘I looked at various possibilities, and when I found this place – it belongs to Hotel 62N and is used as their breakfast restaurant – I considered whether I should give up fine dining and open a bistro instead. But the more I worked on that concept, the more wrong it seemed.
What I am interested in is working with Faroese ingredients and the stories related to them.
I have a good arrangement with the hotel. Our costs are low compared to what they were at Koks, and if I fail here, it’s because it just can’t be done.’
But you know your own market value – so you aim to succeed?
‘Oh, sure. I wouldn’t have been able to do this 10 years ago.
There is another aspect too: opening my own place and running it like a business gives me greater freedom to live the life I would like to live.’
You’re talking about freedom and free time?
‘I’m talking about having the time to explore nature to find new or forgotten ingredients, but yes, in the long term, it will be nice to be able to go home sometimes.
Right now I love being here from we open till we close.’
After a short pause, he adds, ‘Our dream is that one day, my wife will be able to get more involved in the restaurant. She is a nurse and helps out occasionally, and she handles our communication, but if she could do half-time at the hospital, she could spend more time here.’
‘At Koks, we were closed all winter long. Experience tells me that we might be busy from May to September, and the rest of the year is going to be fairly quiet.
Right now, it’s an open question whether we should be closed during the winter months, like Koks, or whether we should do something that appeals more to the locals in winter. Private parties, for example?’
While we talk, Poul’s team is working with calm efficiency in the background, preparing for the evening’s diners.
What will you serve them?
‘Our menu consists of 16 courses with an emphasis on local Faroese ingredients – a lot of fish and always dried, fermented mutton.
Some of our ingredients are on the menu for a long time, others just a week or two, while they’re in season.
Many of our dishes are based on something traditional that we take a critical and creative look at and turn into something new.’
What you’re saying is, you are not going to be using miso and lemongrass?
‘Not exactly, but yes, locally sourced ingredients always take centre stage.
We do use non-local ingredients when it makes sense.’
Based on experience and your gut feeling as a chef, or how?
‘Yes, it is about supporting or contrasting – without ever stealing the scene.
We use lots of Faroese seaweed but also seaweed from Japan.
For example, we have a dish with Faroese scallop, caviar from Belgium and local buttermilk that has been steeping with Japanese kombu kelp.’
The chef has now prepared two dishes to be photographed:
A breaded langoustine in its own shell, glazed with langoustine glaze, served with celeriac juice and browed butter – on a ceramic plate by local potter Helena Højgaard.
And a sea snail with pickled kohlrabi, served with fermented gooseberry juice and wild coriander oil – in a glass dish from local maker Ruth Heinesen.
I applaud the minimalist decor with Thorup Copenhagen’s flag halyard chairs made from Faroese wool (featured in bookazine 2) as the dominant element.
‘I didn’t know the chairs or their story in advance,’ says Poul ‘but was introduced to them in our local furniture shop.
They are perfect for this space, and they are super comfortable.’
Now, the tables are set, and at the end of the cooking island, a piece of ræst mutton and a ræst fish are hung as decoration.
On the tables, there are flowers in small ceramic vessels by Guðrið Poulsen, candles, white textile napkins and cutlery boxes made by a local cabinetmaker.
While I photograph, we talk about the tone and conditions in this restaurant and in the industry in general.
‘The tone has changed quite a bit during my years in the business – people are generally sensitive and quicker to take offence than before,’ says Poul.
Are you talking about what some call ‘snowflakes’?
‘Yes,’ he replies, ‘but sometimes you have to take your points of view to the extreme in order to bring about change.
In this restaurant, there is no yelling, no one is throwing stuff at anyone.
I believe you should meet others with trust in their ability and willingness to perform their job.’
‘In terms of the conditions, this is a unique industry.
Working days are long, and you’re almost always working weekends.
I completely understand that this is difficult for someone who has a family.
Perhaps that is why so many of the cooks in Tórshavn are from other parts of the world and come here to experience the Nordic cuisine.
There is nothing wrong with that, but I would like to help raise our local level as well, and I am happy that Seth Nystrøm, who is Faroese and relatively recently finished his training, has joined our team.’
The tantalizing smell from the staff meal simmering on the range fills the room.
In a few hours, the single focus will be on welcoming the guests who have long been counting down to visit Poul Andrias Ziska and his new kitchen.
Epilogue:
Six weeks later – two months after the opening – Poul Andrias Ziska and PAZ receive two stars in Guide Michelin.
Premierefeberen havde knap lagt sig, da jeg 14 dage efter den officielle åbning besøgte Poul Andrias Ziska i hans restaurant PAZ i Tórshavn.
Aftalen var kommet i stand via Ragnhild Hjalmarsdóttir (også omtalt i bookazine 13), hvis værker, fremstillet af lokal uld, pryder væggene i restauranten.
Poul Andrias Ziska, f. 1990
Uddannet kok fra Koks, Færøerne
Tidligere køkkenchef på Koks
Står bag restaurant PAZ i Tórshavn, som åbnede i april 2025
Poul er imødekommende og afslappet, men under overfladen vibrerer en uro, lader han mig vide.
Vi taler om, at sådan er det altid, når man har løbet længe og hurtigt for at komme i mål.
Den omkringliggende verden er ikke forandret – kun ens egen. Det er svært at lande, og det kræver al ens erfaring og mod at turde stole på, at det hele nok skal gå.
“Der skal jo gæster til for at drive en restaurant”, siger han.
Hvad skal du med det her sted? spørger jeg med slet skjult ærefrygt – jeg sidder over for en mand, som har indkasseret to Michelin-stjerner i sin tid som køkkenchef på Koks.
Poul svarer ydmygt, at han først og fremmest skal have et arbejde.
Okay, vi starter et andet sted – hvornår opdagede du, at fine dining var den scene, hvorpå du kunne gøre dig gældende?
“At jeg havnede i restaurationsbranchen, var en tilfældighed. Jeg var 14 og skulle lave et eller andet. Akademiker vidste jeg, at jeg ikke skulle være. Jeg begyndte at arbejde lidt på en pizzarestaurant.
Da jeg efter en tid besluttede mig for, at det var den branche, jeg skulle uddanne mig i, søgte jeg at lære af de dygtigste og fik elevplads på Gourmet, den første fine dining-restaurant på Færøerne.
Den var langt forud for sin tid og lukkede i 2009.
Efter lukningen flyttede hele teamet op på Hotel Føroyar. Der fødtes Koks, og der blev jeg udlært i 2012.
I 2014, hvor jeg havde været færdiguddannet et par år og havde arbejdet både på Færøerne og i København, blev jeg spurgt, om jeg ville være køkkenchef på Koks – så flyttede vi hjem.”
2017: Koks under ledelse af Poul Andrias Ziska tildeles sin første Michelin-stjerne
2018: Koks flytter til en naturskøn placering i Leynavatn, 25 km uden for Tórshavn
2019: Koks modtager to Michelin-stjerner
2022–2024: Koks lukker midlertidigt på Færøerne og popper op i Ilimanaq i Grønland
2025: Det står stadig hen i det uvisse, om Koks genåbner
Poul fortæller med begejstring om somrene i Grønland, men også om, hvordan han om vinteren befandt sig i et limbo.
Og så er der familien – hans kone og de to yngste børn elskede alt ved det grønlandske eventyr og kunne sagtens forestille sig at bo der et år eller to, hvorimod hans teenagesøn hellere vil være hjemme.
Han fortsætter:
“Da det langsomt gik op for mig, at en genåbning af Koks ikke lå lige rundt om hjørnet, begyndte jeg at tænke i alternativer – og idéen om at blive selvstændig fødtes.”
Store dele af madscenen på Færøerne er koncerndrevet, ved jeg. Set i det lys må det kræve ekstra meget mod at åbne et uafhængigt sted?
“Eller stor naivitet”, siger han og trækker lidt på smilebåndet.
“De to koncerner, som står bag hovedparten af hotellerne og restauranterne, har gjort meget godt for gastroscenen.
Der havde aldrig eksisteret en Koks, hvis ikke det var for Gist & Vist under ledelse af Jóhannes Jensen.
Men”, fortsætter han, “der sker noget andet, hvis det er kokken, som ejer og driver restauranten – og det andet er jeg klar til at udforske.”
Og du var aldrig i tvivl om, at dit sted skulle ligge i Tórshavn?
“Nej. Jeg er født og opvokset her. Vi har vores familier her.
Min kones søster og hendes børn, som er jævnaldrende med vores, bor i gåafstand.
Vi selv bor fem minutter fra restauranten, og min familie kan spise personalemad her hver dag.
Nej, det var jeg ikke i tvivl om.
Så må man tage regnvejrsdagene og mørket med – det er det værste.
Nogle dage er det også det bedste og det fineste – roligt og lækkert.”
“Jeg så på forskellige muligheder, og da jeg fandt lokalet her, det hører til Hotel 62N og fungerer som deres morgenmadsrestaurant, overvejede jeg, om jeg skulle droppe fine dining og åbne en bistro. Men jo mere jeg udviklede på konceptet, jo mere forkert blev det.
Det, som interesserer mig, er at arbejde med de færøske råvarer og de fortællinger, som knytter sig til dem.
Jeg har fået en god aftale med hotellet. Vores omkostningsniveau er lavt i forhold til det, vi havde på Koks, og lykkes jeg ikke her, er det, fordi det ikke kan lade sig gøre overhovedet.”
Men du kender din egen markedsværdi – så du satser på at lykkes?
“Jo, jo. Jeg havde ikke kunnet gøre det for 10 år siden.
Der er også et andet aspekt: Ved at åbne mit eget sted og drive det som virksomhed får jeg større frihed til at leve det liv, jeg gerne vil leve.”
Du taler om frihed og fritid?
“Jeg taler om at have tid til at gå på opdagelse i naturen for at finde nye eller glemte råvarer, men ja, på sigt vil det være dejligt at kunne gå hjem en gang imellem.
Lige nu elsker jeg at være her i hele åbningstiden.”
Og efter en kort pause: “Vi drømmer om, at min kone en dag får mulighed for at involvere sig mere i restauranten. Hun er sygeplejerske og hjælper nu og da – og hun står for vores kommunikation – men kunne hun nøjes med at arbejde halv tid på sygehuset, kunne hun være mere her.”
“På Koks havde vi lukket hele vinteren. Al erfaring siger mig, at vi kan få travlt fra maj til september, og resten af året vil der være ret stille.
Lige nu er det et åbent spørgsmål, hvorvidt vi – ligesom Koks – skal holde lukket i vintermånederne, eller om vi skal lave noget, som henvender sig mere til de lokale om vinteren. Selskaber, for eksempel?”
Mens vi snakker, arbejder Pouls hold roligt, men effektivt i baggrunden med forberedelser til aftenens gæster.
Hvad skal de spise?
“Vores menu består af 16 serveringer med fokus på lokale færøske råvarer – meget fisk og altid tørret, fermenteret fårekød.
Nogle af vores råvarer er på kortet længe, andre bare en uge eller 14 dage, når de er i sæson.
Mange af vores retter tager udgangspunkt i noget traditionelt, som vi har set på med kritiske øjne og ved hjælp af vores kreativitet omskabt til noget nyt.”
Det, du siger, er, at det ikke er hos jer, man kommer til at spise miso og citrongræs?
“Egentlig ikke, men de lokale råvarer spiller altid førsteviolin.
Når vi anvender andet end lokalt, er det, fordi det giver mening.”
Og den mening – er det noget, du kan mærke?
“Ja, det handler om at understøtte eller sætte i kontrast – men aldrig stjæle fokus.
Vi bruger masser af færøsk tang, men også tang fra Japan.
Vi har for eksempel en servering med færøsk kammusling, kaviar fra Belgien og lokal kærnemælk, som har trukket i japansk kombutang.”
Kokken har nu tilberedt to serveringer til foto:
En jomfruhummer paneret i egen skal og glaseret med jomfruhummer-glace, serveret med knoldsellerijuice og brunet smør – på keramiktallerken fra den lokale keramiker Helena Højgaard.
Den anden: søsnegl med syltet kålrabi, serveret med fermenteret stikkelsbærjuice og vild korianderolie – i en glasasiette fra den ligeledes lokale Ruth Heinesen.
Jeg roser den minimale indretning med Thorup Copenhagens stole med flagline fremstillet af færøsk uld (omtalt i Bookazine 2) som det mest dominerende.
“Jeg kendte ikke til stolene eller deres historie i forvejen”, fortæller Poul, “men blev præsenteret for dem i vores lokale møbelforretning.
De passer helt perfekt – og man sidder virkelig godt i dem.”
Der er nu dækket op på bordene, og for enden af køkkenøen er der blevet hængt både et stykke ræst får og en ræst fisk op som dekoration.
På bordene er der blomster i små krukker fra Guðrið Poulsen, levende lys, hvide stofservietter og bestikæsker fra en lokal snedker.
Mens jeg fotograferer, taler vi om tonen og vilkårene i restauranten her og i branchen i almindelighed.
“Tonen har ændret sig ret meget i de år, jeg har været i branchen – folk er generelt mere nærtagende og fintfølende end tidligere”, siger Poul.
Jeg spørger: Taler du om det, nogen kalder for krænkelsesparathed?
“Ja”, svarer han, “men man behøver indimellem tage sine synspunkter til det ekstreme for at få tingene til at flytte sig.
Hos os bliver der hverken råbt eller skreget eller kastet med noget.
Jeg tror på, at man skal møde sine medmennesker med tillid til, at de kan og vil udføre deres arbejde.”
“I forhold til vilkårene, så er det en speciel branche.
Arbejdsdagene er lange, og man arbejder næsten altid i weekenderne.
Jeg har fuld forståelse for, at det er vanskeligt, når man har familie.
Måske af samme årsag er mange af kokkene i Tórshavn fra andre verdensdele – kokke, som kommer med det formål at få erfaring fra det nordiske køkken.
Det er der ikke noget galt i, men jeg vil gerne bidrage til at højne niveauet også lokalt, og jeg er glad for, at Seth Nystrøm, som er færing og relativt nyudlært, er med på holdet her.”
Duften fra den simrende personalemad fylder rummet.
Om få timer er eneste fokus at byde velkommen til de gæster, som længe har talt ned til at besøge Poul Andrias Ziska og hans nye køkken.
Efterskrift:
Seks uger senere – to måneder efter åbningen – får Poul Andrias Ziska og PAZ to stjerner i Guide Michelin.
Related stories
RESET MATERIALS
LOCALLY MADE
IN THE KITCHEN WITH…
