Pinecones and milk. That’s what the menu said last summer at Restaurant Solitary.
When chef Remi Trémouille started his first own restaurant a few years ago, his goal was clear: take traditional Finnish ingredients and turn them into exciting new dishes, source everything as near as possible and build the frequently changing menu around whatever is available at any given time.
The vision has become a globally acclaimed fine-dining restaurant in the small town of Rantasalmi. It has inspired Trémouille’s team to create dishes with ingredients that have taken even the seasoned chef by surprise.
“Since opening the restaurant, I’ve truly understood how many ingredients are out there. But the pinecones were the biggest surprise by far.”
The candied green pinecones and homemade mozzarella with early-season green strawberries became an instant hit. Even though, faithful to the concept, the dish was on the menu only for a short period of time, customers are still asking after it more than a year later. Trémouille has just received a message from a Central European couple who have been in the restaurant over ten times, asking if there is any chance to enjoy the pinecones again on their upcoming visit.
“I still have some ten pinecones in the freezer reserved for very special guests,” he reveals.
A surprise homecoming
The commitment to only seasonal and available ingredients means diners never know what will be on Solitary’s menu.Photo: Timo Villanen
Starting a restaurant in a town of roughly 3,000 inhabitants in the Southern Savo region of eastern Finland was not Trémouille’s original plan. Growing up, he couldn’t wait to leave Rantasalmi. He quit school, started working at restaurants, moved to Helsinki and worked his way up in the capital’s Michelin-starred restaurants. For years, he lived and worked in Australia and Bali.
When the pandemic shut down fine-dining restaurants, Trémouille found himself out of work. Then, he received a call from his first boss, Markus Heiskanen. A luxurious new resort, Kuru, was in the works in Rantasalmi, and the entrepreneur asked if Trémouille would be interested in working there.
“I asked my wife Laura, who was born and raised in Helsinki, if she would mind if we moved to Rantasalmi. She said OK, and here we are,” he laughs.
Returning to his old hometown to start his own restaurant meant returning to his roots in more than one way.
Trémouille was born in France to a French dad and a Finnish mom but spent his formative years in Rantasalmi. Fishing on the lake with granddad and cooking local dishes with grandma are some of his fondest childhood memories. Returning to the small town, now to start his own family, felt right.
“I left Rantasalmi because, at the time, the nearest good restaurants were in Helsinki. Nowadays, there are great restaurants across Finland, all the way to Lapland.”
Founding Solitary meant taking a new approach to traditional Finnish ingredients. The restaurant’s core idea is to source everything from local farmers, fishermen, hunters or producers. The staff also picks wild herbs that grow just outside the restaurant, and if there’s brown hare on the menu, it’s most likely brought in by Samuli Kuronen, one of Solitary’s chefs and an avid hunter.
The commitment to working with whatever is in season and available means that diners never know in advance what will be on the menu. This sets Solitary apart from many other restaurants, where “local” ingredients are sometimes sourced from far away because the menu promises a certain dish throughout the season.
“We make do with what we have. If the ice on the lake is too thin for the local fishermen to go and cast nets underneath using ice holes, we won’t have fish on the menu that week,” Trémouille explains.
The approach presents both opportunities and challenges. On the one hand, it pushes Trémouille and his team to be creative and resourceful, but on the other, it can sometimes be a little stressful.
“Once, we had to change the menu six times in one week. To be honest, that wasn’t ideal,” Trémouille says with a laugh.
It takes a village
To make his concept work, Trémouille had to create strong connections with local people. Building networks has taken a lot of time and footwork, but Trémouille proudly says that Solitary is now the biggest customer for many producers in the area.
The impact of using local ingredients in haute cuisine can extend beyond one restaurant’s supply chain.
“When we use traditional ingredients to make something a little trendier, I hope we inspire people to use those ingredients more. That, in turn, helps to develop local production and creates jobs. The trickle-down effect can be significant.”
Trémouille believes that going to “source zero” is the best way to ensure the highest quality ingredients. The producers, who Trémouille always calls only by their first names, are invested in making sure everything they deliver to the restaurant is as fresh as possible. Working closely with locals also offers greater flexibility. Just the day before, a farmer dropped off some freshly picked cherry tomatoes in Trémouille’s carport while the family was away for the weekend.
“This wouldn’t be possible if we sourced our ingredients from wholesale.”
As word of the restaurant and its philosophy has spread, locals have started to offer their produce spontaneously. That’s why there are 40 litres of damson, a subspecies of plum, waiting at the restaurant.
“My childhood friend’s parents brought them. They had a massive harvest this year and said no-one in their family could take any more. They asked if I could use them. Damson is a completely new ingredient for me. We had already planned our menu for the week, but now we’ll just have to figure out something,” he says, grinning.
The restaurant also fosters a sense of community. People come to talk to Trémouille at the local store and are eager to direct visitors to the resort.
“The locals are very proud of our restaurant. I like to say we have over three thousand ambassadors here who wish us well and want to spread the word.”
After years of living in big cities, Trémouille has found the right balance of work and family life in Rantasalmi. Here, he can pass on his love and appreciation for nature and local ingredients to his children.
“We spend a lot of time outside, exploring what nature has to offer. I’ve also taken the kids to the local sheep farm, so they understand better where food comes from.”
Remi’s picks for the best flavours for each season
Photos: Timo Villanen & Getty Images
Spring This is the season for wild herbs, like nettles, and using buds from various trees. Early potatoes and other first vegetables of the season are delicious.
Summer The flavours are at their purest and lightest. Fish, especially vendace here in Savo, is at its best. We also use a lot of wildflowers.
Autumn Early autumn is a treasure trove for fruit, vegetables and mushrooms. Autumn also marks the start of the hunting season for elk, deer and various birds.
Winter Root vegetables, like potatoes and beets, are the foundation of many dishes. The hunting season continues for brown hares. Burbot is an excellent choice of wintertime fish.
By Lotta Heikkeri, ThisisFINLAND Magazine
