SHE LEADS THE TEAM AT BASEMENT

As the name suggests, Basement lies a few steps below street level, tucked away in a leafy street in Göteborg’s historic Vasastaden neighbourhood. A staple for the city’s lovers of high-quality, tasty food, the restaurant is also the workplace of Sweden’s only female head chef in a Michelin starred restaurant. We were lucky enough to meet the energetic, charming and truly one of a kind Camilla Parkner over coffee on a warm, late summer morning.

You’re responsible for quality control in a Michelin starred restaurant. How do you approach this?
- Through teamwork. It would surprise people if they knew how often our team gets together to discuss ideas, create, develop and taste. We have two menus here. The first is our ‘classic’ menu, which by and large remains the same. The second is a menu that changes every other week. With this menu we combine produce in ways that may seem familiar but try to give them an innovative twist.

You mentioned teamwork - tell us about your team here at Basement.
- There are 5 of us here – three girls and two guys. Personally, I have quite a diverse background in food having worked in neighbourhood pubs in London, on sailing ships travelling half way round the world and in a cheese shop here in Göteborg! I like my team to be flexible too. We rotate stations quite frequently and there is enough talent in the kitchen here to allow any of us to work at any stage of the process involved in creating a dish.

Basement has been around for a long time now. Personally, what do you think lies behind the restaurant’s staying power?
- A commitment to quality and innovation. Our varied and changing menus. A great location. Lots of love for ingredients, refinements and each other! All these things are important but I think we have been around so long because everyone here – from the kitchen to the serving staff – realises that the guest’s dining experience is always most important. If they don’t come down these stairs, none of us would be here. Keep that in mind and your chances of success are much higher!

The restaurant branch could be said to be male dominated. How does it feel to be Sweden’s only female head chef?
- Well, it’s obviously something that I’m very proud of but not something that I think about every day. I’m more concerned with the day-to-day running of the restaurant and making sure our guests enjoy a superior dining experience. Being trusted by the owners to do this job is a compliment – Basement has a reputation for being one of Sweden’s best value Michelin starred restaurants and building on this gives me all the motivation I need. The fact there are more and more girls coming into the branch is good, but first and foremost I see myself as a chef then a woman.  

2011-09-01