Jarmo Pitkänen is both a professional ceramic artist and a chef de cuisine, as well as a dedicated world traveller. Studio Restaurant Tundra is a private restaurant that offers a taste of excellence in most unlikely surroundings. Jarmo Pitkänen began the construction of his restaurant three years ago. The building hosts a ceramics studio and a restaurant for parties up to 30 people. In addition to dinner parties, Pitkänen organises cooking courses and provides luxury catering. During the summer months most of the artist’s time is spent downstairs by the kiln. In winter he puts on his Chef ’s hat and caters for his restaurant customers.

The culinary philosophy of Jarmo Pitkänen has been influenced by his many travels. He has visited every continent but one - only Africa is yet to be explored. Pitkänen has lived and worked, and most importantly, absorbed the atmosphere and local flavours in China, Australia, Hungary and Venezuela. "For me it is essential to get aquainted with the traditions and flavours of every place I am lucky to visit". Food offers a way into the grass-root culture of the place, and that is why travelling is so fascinating to me.

Celebrating flavour and form

Pitkänen has brought his impressions to his native Kuusamo and developed them into a restaurant where every little detail has een attended to. "If you think of dining as a social event, the environment has to be designed to suit it perfectly.
That is why the whole party sits at one long dining table in my restaurant". The dining lounge is decorated sparingly with creamy hite walls and ceramic sculptures, and the idea is that the different courses of the meal form a unified experience with the surroundings. The artistic experience is formed by the interaction of the environment, design and food. Jarmo Pitkänen’s northern origins are also displayed in his ceramics. The Scandinavian purity of line in his sculptures and the simple harmony of the flavours in his superb meals provide a visual feast for his customers.  "I aim at a balance between scent, flavour and form, Pitkänen explains.  I want to offer my customers experiences which combine both tradition and today". Ceramics and food have both always been an inseparable part of people’s lives, and they are also strongly tied to place.  "The changing seasons together with an uncompromising attitude to food is what keeps the Tundra menus fresh". A carefully prepared visual setting and the clear flavours of our northern ingredients are the building blocks I use in creating memorable and excuisite culinary moments for my customers. In wintertime the snow adds an almost magical feeling to the experience. That I take as a bonus.