Sasu Laukkonen, chef and former owner of both ORA Restaurant and Chef & Sommelier in Helsinki, he describes himself as a ‘no waste’ chef, using lesser known cuts of meat such as tongue and belly, and is a passionate advocate of organic and wild food, grown in the restaurant’s own garden and foraged from the Finnish countryside. Laukkonen has a long experience in the kitchen, with short internships at Château Carsin (Bordeaux), Lux and F12 at Stockholm, and as head chef to La Petite Maison and Loft Restaurant & Lounge in Helsinki.
In 2010, Laukkonen opened his own restaurant, Chef & Sommelier, where he and his team decided to focus on organic products, local and close to nature. Chef & Sommelier was awarded its first Michelin star in 2014. In 2017, Laukkonen closed Chef & Sommelier and opened ORA Restaurant which operated until 2023. His ambitions extend well beyond the kitchen as he also a private entrepreneur offering services in consulting, writing, lecturing, and off-site catering.