Bjarni Sigurðsson is the head chef at the Healthcare Institution of South Iceland in Vestmannaeyjar, the Westman Islands (Eyjar). Bjarni was born in Reykjavík in 1973 and was raised there, but moved to Eyjar some years ago, where he worked briefly as an electrician before the kitchen at HSU was brought to his interest. Bjarni has many interests and hobbies. Among them is electrical engineering in music, and choir singing, but his biggest love is photography.

“I had a sweet childhood and studied in Hvassaleitisskóli. I went to study in the old Hotel and Restaurant School of Iceland, graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 1994, then I took a master’s degree in MK, Hotel and Food School of Iceland, which I finished in 1999. I first started cooking with my dearly beloved mom, as most of us do, but my first kitchen job was at Næturgrillið in 1987, where I worked as a kitchen assistant, at just 14 years old. I studied the profession at Café Opera in 1990-1994 and worked there briefly after graduation. I have worked at several restaurants since then, however. These include Lækjarbrekka, Carpe Diem, Rauðará, Astró, Naustið, Glóðin, and Matarlyst, which became Menu Veitingar, and yes, I took a lot of extra work at other places,” our interviewer says.

Bjarni is married to business school graduate Kristjana Margrét Harðardóttir. “We are childless, but we have a dog, Moli, and are registered in the foster parent system, where we have helped a little. My big passion outside work at HSU is, by contrast, photography. In fact, at the turn of the century, I went to the information and multimedia program at Iðnskólinn and finished my photography degree there. I take most of my general photography assignments and have a studio at home, so it’s a little extra work. It has to be said that I’m a member of the Elliðaey hunting association.”

“My wife and I moved to the Westman Islands in 2018. Shortly after we moved to the islands, I had a small art exhibition titled ‘1000 Faces of Heimaey’. I invited all the Westman Islanders to come to me and get a picture and there were 1,496 people there! The results can be viewed on 1000andlit.com.”

Bjarni says he is also extremely interested in old electrical technology. “For example, I have built stereo gadgets based on old technology. Then I am a member of the Westman Islands’ Karlakór and the Icelandic Chefs’ Club, to name a few. But I guess cooking is by far the biggest concern for me.”

“The first time we came to Eyjar, I worked as an electrician at Vinnslustöðin, just to try something new. It was a great time, but after six months at Vinnslustöðin, the guys there pointed out to me that HSU was looking for a new head chef. At HSU, I work as a head chef and I take care of the kitchen and its general operations. This includes shopping, making menus, shift planning, and general management.”

There are six permanent employees in Bjarna’s department. “We work on traditional kitchen shifts. One of them is a woman who is a food technologist and runs the department when I go on holiday. Another woman is finishing the same course this spring. We also have a highly trained chef from Mexico, and one girl from the Philippines, and another from Brazil on shifts. So there’s a multicultural spirit in our department, which is just great.”

“We operate a first-class kitchen here where we keep in tradition and look for old and good dishes rather than chasing something completely new. We are very classical in our approach and try to do as much from scratch as possible. I would also like to mention that all our recipes for cakes and coffee treats were sourced from our families.”

“The staff at our institution is wonderful and we strive to keep our kitchen atmosphere friendly and comfortable. We are here to serve HSU’s amazing staff and all the patients who both stop short and also those who live with us. We want everyone to be welcome and feel good. For example, we in the kitchen find it great fun when we get asked if we can have something special for lunch or dinner. We always try to include those special wishes in the menu! We also always have ice cream on Wednesdays, I guess that’s our most popular tradition. It’s always super fun to be in the dining room on those days!” concludes Bjarni Sigurðsson, head chef of HSU in the Westman Islands.

The first group photo is from left to right, Elva Dögg Björnsdóttir, a culinary student and food technology student, Sigrún Gyða Þórarinsdóttir, a kitchen worker, Ana Cleide Silva Dos Santos, a kitchen worker on extra shifts, and Bjarni Sigurðsson, head chef.

In the second picture, chef Kristín Harpa Halldórsdóttir and assistant head chef, chef Raquel Sarmiento and chef Oddfríður Lilja Jónsdóttir are pictured.

In the third group photo, Elva Dögg Björnsdóttir is a culinary student and a culinary technician, Sigrún Gyða Þórarinsdóttir is a kitchen worker and Carlos Alberto Gonzales Guani is a culinary technician and a veteran.

Main photo: Bjarni Sigurðsson, head chef at HSU in Vestmanneyjar.

Photos: Bjarni Sigurðsson and Haraldur Jónasson (Hari)
Interview: Stefán Hrafn Hagalín