New restaurant guide that looks with both eyes

“The clock is ticking, yet way too few restaurants take sustainability issues seriously enough. At the same time, restaurant guests don’t make demands that are tough enough, we trust the restaurants to take responsibility for the food that’s being served – but in reality, very few do”, says Pär Bergkvist, initiator of 360° – the first restaurant guide in the world ranking both gastronomy and sustainability.

Whereas traditional restaurant guides only rate food, drink and service, 360° takes an utterly necessary step to rate the entirety – including to which extent the restaurant focuses on the origin and traceability of products, food waste, education of staff regarding sustainability matters, more plant based foods on the menu, a seasonal focus and sustainable meat and fish.

“For 360° – as well as the guest – the gastronomy will always number one during a restaurant visit. The food needs to be excellent, but it’s also time we all started to evaluate how the restaurant works with sustainability issues. We need to open our eyes – no excuses can be made anymore. That’s why we choose to start at the top, by rating the best, most famous and most acclaimed Nordic restaurants – in other words, those we think should act as role models, not least regarding these matters”, concludes Pär Bergkvist.

Paul Svensson, well known chef and owner of Fotografiska restaurant in Stockholm:

“When it comes to contemporary food, amazing flavours aren’t enough. The food of the future also needs to do good for both humans and the environment. The task of the modern restaurant is to put the flavour into sustainability.”

Facts:

-360° is produced in collaboration between Restaurangvärlden – Sweden’s leading restaurant business magazine – and some of the best Nordic chefs

-Over 300 restaurants all over the Nordic region will be ranked

-360° is presented once a year, the first ever guide will be released in the summer of 2019

-The guide is digital

-The jury consists of around 20 of the most influential food journalists in the Nordic region, each country is represented by a president (see below)

-Transparency and openness are two key words: As opposed to other guides, both jury and criteria are made public

Chairman, Nordic region: Pär Bergkvist

Initiator of 360° and CEO at Bergkvist Publishing, the company behind the guide. Publisher at Restaurangvärlden, BAKA, White Guide Junior and White Guide Green; author of five cook books.

Chairman, Sweden: Pia Bendel

Editor in chief at business magazines Restaurangvärlden and BAKA at Bergkvist Publishing. Formerly editor in chief at Mat & Vänner, Vi & Bar Journalen and alltomat.se and editor at Gourmet and Aperitif.

Chairman, Finland: Pauliina Siniauer

Food specialised journalist and producer, formerly at Helsingin Sanomat, Radio Helsinki, Saveur and NBC News. Has studied food journalism in Helsinki, Berlin and New York. Currently works at The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ).

Chairman, Denmark: Rasmus Palsgård

In 2015, at the age of 26, Rasmus Palsgård became the youngest member of The Danish Food Critic Association. Founder of blog Finschmeckeren and a regular contributor to several leading, Danish gastronomy magazines.

Chairman, Norway: Anders Husa

Anders Husa is a marketer, food writer, and photographer based in Oslo. Through the work of his restaurant and travel blog, he has dined at some of the best restaurants in Scandinavia and around the world. He shares his adventures and curated city guides on his blog Foodie Stories by Anders Husa and on Instagram at @andershusa

Partners:

WWF, KRAV, Visit Sweden, Nespresso, Rational and Skånemejerier.

Contact:

Pär Bergkvist

+46 703 184543

par@bergkvistpublishing.se

www.360eatguide.com