In May 2024, the MICHELIN Guide Ceremony Nordic Countries will be organised in Helsinki for the first time. The MICHELIN Stars that will be awarded in the ceremony are the most coveted and respected recognition of excellence in the restaurant industry. MICHELIN Green Stars indicating role models restaurants that are committed to a more sustainable gastronomy will also be presented at the reveal, along with other Special Awards.
The city’s event partners from the food and drink industry will be featured in the ceremony, which will be held at the Savoy Theatre and Helsinki City Hall.
“It’s wonderful that some of the key names in the Finnish food culture have joined us as partners in the MICHELIN Guide Ceremony. Each of them takes an innovative approach to the development of our food and drink culture, in addition considering sustainability and responsibility issues. Food is the central theme of Helsinki’s tourism and events in 2024, and together with our partners, we are looking forward to putting the diverse food and drink culture of our delicious city on the world map,” said Nina Vesterinen, the City of Helsinki’s Tourism Director.
Diverse food and drink experiences strengthen appeal of Helsinki’s urban culture
One of the goals of Helsinki's Food Year is to strengthen cooperation among local food and restaurant industry operators and support Helsinki’s unique culinary culture. The city’s partners share this objective.
“The popularity of eating out continues to grow and this new chapter in the history of our restaurant culture also fortifies Helsinki and its identity, as restaurants are the building blocks of a city’s urban culture. International guests are important to Helsinki’s restaurants, and that’s why we wanted to take part in raising Helsinki’s profile to join the ranks of Europe's most interesting restaurant cities,” said Jerry Tiittala, Commercial Director at Kespro, a food service wholesaler in Finland.
“We are thrilled to be a partner and support talented Finnish restaurant entrepreneurs on their successful journeys. First-class food and unique restaurants are an essential component of urban culture, and are definitely an experience worth investing in. We hope that the MICHELIN Guide Ceremony and Helsinki's 2024 Food Year will inspire everyone to commit to visiting restaurants regularly and partaking of Finland’s wonderful culinary expertise,” said Hanna Forsström Vice President of Marketing & eCommerce at Valio Aimo, which also operates as a food wholesaler.
“The MICHELIN Guide is a highly respected player in the food industry. By cooperating with the MICHELIN Guide in the frame of their Nordic Countries Ceremony, we are happy to be able to offer high-quality Nordic food to the industry’s top professionals that will be participating in the event. The event provides us an excellent opportunity to gain global visibility for Finnish food,” said Anniina Niemistö, Vice-President of Communications and Sustainability at Fazer Lifestyle Foods, a producer of healthy, plant-based foods.
“We are excited to join in this event because we feel it is important to be a part of the development of Helsinki's food and drink culture. Helsinki offers countless fascinating food and drink experiences that deserve to have an even bigger spotlight. That's why we definitely wanted to be involved in supporting the growth of Helsinki's, and all of Finland's, culinary reputation,” said Mikko Mykkänen, CEO of The Helsinki Distilling Company.
