Martin followed Martine to Knutholmen
He came for her and stayed for Kalvåg, trading the city for life and work around the old quayside at Knutholmen.
Martine Fosse is the daughter of «Mr. Kalvåg», Svein Inge Fosse. Together with her husband, Martin Sveian, she has three children of kindergarten age. The family is part of the positive trend seen in Kalvåg, where young people are betting on a future in the tradition-rich fishing village. But it was not a given that it would turn out this way.
A contract in Oslo, and a call from home
Martine grew up in Kalvåg and went to upper secondary school in Førde before becoming an apprentice at the restaurant Feinschmecker, located at Frogner in Oslo. This is a French gourmet restaurant with the very best the Norwegian restaurant industry can offer.
«There I had a contract for two years, and I had a wonderful time. But then my brother, Jan Fredrik, called and asked if I could take over the kitchen at Knutholmen. I actually had other plans, but I understood that he really needed help. So I said yes to moving home,» she says.
Home for the season, ten years on
The plan was always to come home, but not before she had something to come home with, in the form of new competence that could bring something new to Knutholmen. The plan was to come home for the season, but now she has been home for ten years.
Today it is Martine and her husband, and her brother Jan Fredrik, who run Knutholmen, after their father Svein Inge stepped back from the daily operation. The hosts at Knutholmen are known for being very hospitable at almost all hours.
The plan was always to come home, but not before I had something to come home with — new competence that could bring something new to Knutholmen.
— Martine Fosse
A menu shaped by the place
Martine came home from a restaurant in Oslo where most things were planned down to the smallest detail. «I did experience a cultural difference, and this was something we worked on until we got more stable supply lines in place. Today we know all the fishermen who deliver to us, the hunters, and the farmers who deliver lamb,» she says.
The menu at Knutholmen is shaped by the area they are in: a lot of fish, lobster, deer, and lamb that has grazed in nature.
A chef who said yes to the west coast
But Martine did not come home alone to Kalvåg, because she had met Martin Sveian on the national chef team, and he said yes to coming west.
«Martin is from Trøndelag, so for him to move to the west coast was something different from what he was used to. He previously worked at Lindesnes and was a chef there. I am very glad that he came along to Kalvåg,» she smiles.
