Koks Restaurant

Michelin Celebrates the Vibrant Nordic Dining Scene with Three Special Awards

"The Michelin Award for the Nordic Guide Young Chef of the Year 2019 went to Poul Andrias Ziska of KOKS restaurant in the Faroe Islands. The 28-year-old Ziska grew up in Tórshavn, the capital of the Faroe Islands, and his first experience in the food industry was a job in a pizzeria at the age of 14. He later worked under Leif Sørensen—who was perhaps his greatest influence—and has completed stages at Geranium, Noma and Mugaritz. After a brief stint at Geranium in Copenhagen, Ziska returned to the Faroe Islands in January 2014 to take over as head chef of KOKS, a picturesque 18th century former farmhouse in a beautiful yet remote location high in the mountains. In 2017, the Faroe Islands were added to the MICHELIN Guide Nordic Countries for the first time and KOKS entered the selection with one Michelin star. Two years later in the 2019 guide, KOKS has been awarded two stars, an award held by only 10 restaurants across the Nordic countries. Michelin inspectors were hugely impressed by Ziska’s maturity, forward-thinking creativity and respect for the wonderful ingredients grown, fished and foraged from the unique Faroese landscape. His pride and knowledge in the use of tried and tested traditional techniques such as fermentation, salting, pickling and curing, allied with a modern approach, creates terrific dishes with purity, complexity and a superb balance of flavors." - The MICHELIN Guide Nordic Editorial Team