Meet our Culinary Ambassadors
We’re working with two standout chefs to make onboard dining one of the highlights of your voyage. Máret Rávdná Buljo and Halvar Ellingsen bring deep knowledge of local ingredients, food traditions and regional identity to every menu.
There’s a quiet food revolution taking place in Norway. Rather than relying on exotic imports, chefs are looking close to home for inspiration. Local ingredients, local flavours, local stories: the magic is right here on our doorstep.
Halvar and Máret are at the forefront of this shift. Through thoughtful, sustainable cooking, they show how food connects us to people, place and history. Both live and work on the Norwegian coast. And both care deeply about using what’s nearby and what’s in season, and not letting anything go to waste.
After working at a string of high-profile restaurants, Halvar returned home to Vesterålen to open Kvitnes, his ancestral working farm, now one of Norway’s top culinary destinations. Sámi cultural custodian Máret, who got her first reindeer aged three, also runs Boazovázzi, her family’s reindeer farm in Lødingen. Each of them is a strong voice in modern Norwegian food culture – one coastal, one Sámi.
Máret Rávdná Buljo
Sámi Culinary Ambassador | Owner of Boazovázzi reindeer farm, Lødingen
"I feel a responsibility to bring Sámi stories to the table. Through food, I want to convey respect for nature and animals and show how our culture has a spiritual and profound connection to what we eat. It’s about more than just flavours – it’s about soul, heritage and connection.
I know Hurtigruten is high quality, and I want to tell our stories on that level. I don't want Sámi stories to only be the entertainment. I want to bring the serious and ethical thoughts behind our food into the light.
It’s exciting to make dishes that bring the flavours together, but also keep the Sámi taste and story. I can do this because of my deep understanding of Sámi food.”
Halvar Ellingsen
National Culinary Champion | Head Chef at Kvitnes, Vesterålen
“I lived and cooked in Oslo for ten years before moving back home to cook at Kvitnes, my family’s farm in Vesterålen, six years ago. I wanted to make the ingredients the star of the show again, to prove what sustainable food really is in practice, and how far you can go with it.
As a young boy, I would hear the whistle of The Coastal Express ships just before half past one every day. It was a natural part of growing up on the coast. Even now, we have goods delivered to our restaurant from the ships every single week.
I’m really looking forward to having fun working together, and serving guests dishes that not only taste great but also connects them more to the areas they travel to.”