insiderseattle
Taste of Iceland Festival Returns to Seattle for a
Full Week of Food, Culture, Music and…Knitting
October 11 – 20, 2019
Icelandair, celebrating 10 years of non-stop flights, offers a chance to win
a 10-day trip to Iceland
In just over one month, the annual Taste of Iceland festival will return to Seattle for a full week of mostly free activities ranging from an Icelandic takeover of Tom Douglas’ restaurant Cuoco and two panels discussing Gender Equality and KidsRights at the National Nordic Museum to the return of Reykjavik Calling at KEXP and a special literature presentation by Eliza Reid, Iceland’s First Lady. Returning for its 12th year, Taste of Iceland provides Seattle-area residents and visitors an up-close look and taste of Iceland’s top cuisine, music, literature, film and culture. This year’s highlights include:
- Nordic Knitting Conference, featuring one of many Icelandic pioneers
in art, Ýr Jóhannsdóttir | Oct. 11 – Oct. 13 - A Gender Equality Panel: Why Is Gender Equality So Important To (Global) Growth? | Oct. 17
- A Culinary take-over of Tom Douglas’ Italian eatery Cuoco | Oct. 17 – Oct. 20
- The Write Stuff, a literary presentation by Eliza Reid, Iceland’s First Lady | Oct. 18
- Reykjavik Calling: a free 21+ concert at KEXP | Oct. 19
- Iceland Day at the National Nordic Museum featuring a full day of activities such as theater groups, face painting and a KidsRights Panel | Oct. 19
- Icelandic Cocktail Demonstration at Hotel Andra | Oct. 19
- Shortfish: An Icelandic film festival featuring five short films | Oct. 20
- A Bar take-over with Icelandic Mixologist Tóta at Liberty | Oct. 20
And, in celebration of Icelandair’s 10 years of non-stop flights between Seattle and Iceland, Iceland enthusiasts will also have a chance to win a 10-day trip to Iceland as well as a number of Icelandic prizes through the #SEAcloseup Challenge. Additional prizes include a year’s supply of Icelandic Provisions’ skyr or Icelandic Glacial water, and dinner for two at Tom Douglas’ restaurant Cuoco during Taste of Iceland. The challenge runs from October 9 – 19 and details will be available on Icelandair and Iceland Naturally’s social channels.
Stay up-to-date on Taste of Iceland events happening in Seattle by following @IcelandNatural and using #TasteofIceland on Twitter and Instagram and ‘Liking’ Iceland Naturally on Facebook. Visitwww.icelandnaturally.com to learn more about Taste of Iceland in Seattle.
2019 Taste of Seattle Schedule of Events
CULTURE: NORDIC KNITTING CONFERENCE WITH ÝR JÓHANNSDÓTTIR AT THENATIONAL NORDIC MUSEUM
Friday, October 11 | 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, October 12 – 13 | 1:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
The Museum is pleased to present its eighth biennial celebration of Nordic fabric arts. First conceived by volunteers in 2007, this program has grown to draw instructors and participants from all over the world. The 2019 Nordic Knitting Conference will highlight the work of Signe Aarhus, co-founder of Oleana, a family company founded in 1992 with the aim of creating new jobs in Norway’s textile industry. Featured instructors include Norway’s Arne & Carlos, Evelyn Clark, Susanna Hansson, Laura Ricketts, and Jason Allan-Spencer, Flóra Carlile-Kovács, and Iceland’s Ýr Jóhannsdóttir. Pre registration required. For information about pricing and course offerings, please visit: www.nordicmuseum.org/knitting.
The Museum is excited about the opportunity to introduce Ýr Jóhannsdóttir, who will speak to the dynamic nature of folk art and help to highlight the innovative art community in Iceland, to our knitting community during the conference. Ýr Jóhannsdóttir, also known by her artist name,Ýrúrarí, pushes the art of knitting to explore new forms and consider reuse and reimagination in an intriguing way.
FOOD: ICELANDIC TAKEOVER AT CUOCO RESTAURANT
Thursday, October 17 – Sunday, October 20
A one-of-a-kind, four-course dining experience showcasing some of Iceland’s finest ingredients will be available at this year’s Icelandic restaurant takeover of Cuoco. Award-winning Icelandic Chef Georg Arnar Halldorsson from Restaurant Óx in Reykjavik will partner with Cuoco’s Chef Ron Anderson to create a cross-cultural prix fixe menu that includes arctic char, filleted cod with turnips and langoustine, free range Icelandic lamb, and, of course, Iceland Provisions’ Skyr of the Vikings for dessert. In addition, Tóta, one of Iceland’s premier bartenders, will join Cuoco’s mixologist Jonny Spielsinger to design a flight of custom cocktails featuring Reyka Vodka and Brennivín. The four-course prix fixe dinner is $80.
First: Slow cooked Arctic char with Icelandic wasabi, green apple and nasturtium.
Second: Fillets of cod with turnips, wild garlic, sunflower seeds and langoustine broth.
Main: Icelandic lamb eye of loin with summer squash, black garlic, grilled onions and sauce gastrique with dung smoked lamb fat.
Dessert: Icelandic Provisions skyr with beetroots, raspberries and rye bread.
Reservations are strongly encouraged and can be made via www.cuoco-seattle.com, OpenTableor by calling the restaurant at 206.971.0710.
GENDER EQUALITY: WHY GENDER EQUALITY IS SO IMPORTANT TO GLOBAL GROWTH – A DISCUSSION AT THE NATIONAL NORDIC MUSEUM
Thursday, October 17 | Discussion: 4:00 – 5:15 p.m. & Networking Reception: 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
At this event, Senior Advisor to UN Women in New York and Chair of the Board, Women Political Leaders Global Forum, Hanna Birna Krisjansdottir will be the keynote and Moderator Alison Peters, Senior Associate at EnviroIssues will lead the panel discussion. Joining them will be the First Lady of Iceland, Eliza Reid, CEO of The Technology Alliance, Laura Ruderman, and ChiefCreative Officer of Wunderman Thompson Seattle, Anthony Reeves. Together they will discuss the importance of gender equality in global growth as Iceland takes pride in being the leader of gender equality by promoting a culture that provides access to equal opportunities as a fundamental human right.
Interested attendees are asked to register to attend. The event will be followed by a cocktail reception from 5:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
LITERATURE: THE WRITE STUFF – A DISCUSSION WITH FIRST LADY OF ICELAND, ELIZA REID, AT THE SEATTLE PUBLIC LIBRARY
Friday, October 18 | 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Celebrate Iceland with a storytelling talk by Iceland’s First Lady, Eliza Reid. In addition to being First Lady, Reid is also a Reykjavik-based writer and editor who co-founded the Iceland Writers Retreat. Iceland is one of the most popular destinations for creative minds, and Reid will focus her talk on what makes Iceland so unique and inspirational – both as a home and as a travel destination – for lovers of the written word. Joining her will be Juan Carlos Reyes – Professor of Creative Writing at Seattle University and board member at Seattle City of Literature.
Interested attendees are encouraged to RSVP on Facebook.
MUSIC: REYKJAVIK CALLING – FREE CONCERT AT KEXP’S GATHERING SPACE
Saturday, October 19 | Doors open at 7:00 p.m. | Concert starts at 8:00 p.m.
Reykjavik Calling will feature Icelandic trio Kælan mikla. This trio brings an eruption of post-punk brilliance and synth-lines that harken back to the bad old days of the Batcave, big hair, and Egyptian-inspired eyeliner. Joining the stage will also be Sólstafir, an atmospheric Icelandic rock and roll group known for their unique blend of beautiful melodies and strong undercurrent of classic/hard rock. In addition to the concert, the musicians will also perform live on 90.3 KEXP in Seattle and stream live at KEXP.ORG earlier in the day. Reykjavik Calling is 21+ with doors opening at 7:00 p.m. and the show begins at 8:00 p.m. RSVPs on Facebook are recommended, but do not guarantee entry as space is limited and entry will be granted on a first come first served basis.
CULTURE: ICELAND DAY & KIDSRIGHTS PANEL AT THE NATIONAL NORDIC MUSEUM
Saturday, October 19 | 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. | Performances starts hourly at 12:30 p.m.
Leikhópurinn Lotta, a theater group from Iceland that makes high quality family musicals with a wickedly funny edge will perform a musical medley, a performance that is sure to entertain children and adults alike. Their family musicals have covered topics like pollution, the refugee crisis and bullying an its all wrapped up in a brand-new quirky version of your favorite fairy tales. In addition to the theater group, Iceland Day will also include icelandic inspired face painting. Performances at 12:30 p.m.., 1:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.
KidsRights Panel Discussion at 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.: Iceland leads the way ranking first in the 2019 KidsRights Index that assesses how countries make efforts to improve the rights of children. This panel features keynote speaker Salvör Nordal, the Ombudsman for Children in Iceland since 2017, who’s focus is on children’s participation in decision-making in Iceland. Joining her will be Greg Williamson, the Director of the Office of Youth Engagement for the Washington State Department of Children, Youth and Families, Andrea Rogers, the Senior Staff Attorney for Our Children’s Trust, and Annie Blackledge, Executive Director of The Mockingbird Society. More Seattle-based panelists to be announced.
Interested attendees are encouraged to RSVP on EventBrite.
DRINK: ICELANDIC COCKTAIL DEMONSTRATION WITH RENOWNED ICELANDIC MIXOLOGIST TÓTA
Saturday, October 19 | 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Join renowned Icelandic mixologist Tóta for a special cocktail demonstration at the Northern Lights Room at Hotel Andra. Take pleasure in small tastes of Icelandic cocktails made with Reyka Vodkaand Brennivín and learn all about the flavors that make a cocktail uniquely Icelandic, and a few tips and tricks about how to make a delicious cocktail! The class will run from 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Attendees must be 21 and over. Interested attendees are encouraged to RSVP on Facebook.
Space is limited – entry will be granted on a first-come, first-served basis.
FILM: SHORTFISH RETURNS: ICELAND’S PREMIER SHORT FILM FESTIVAL AT THENATIONAL NORDIC MUSEUM
Sunday, October 20 | 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
The Icelandic film industry’s premier festival, Stockfish, will screen its short film program on Sunday, October 20 at the National Nordic Museum at 2:00 p.m. The short film division of the Stockfish Festival, aptly dubbed Shortfish, focuses on highlighting up-and-coming Icelandic filmmakers. The Shortfish screening at the National Nordic Museum will feature five short films and run for approximately 90 minutes. Admission is free on a first-come, first-served basis. There are no age restrictions on these films, but they are not recommended for children.
Interested attendees are encouraged to RSVP on Facebook here. Space is limited – entry will be granted on a first-come, first-served basis.
DRINK: BAR TAKE-OVER WITH TÓTA AT LIBERTY
Sunday, October 20 | 7:00 p.m. – 2:00 a.m.
Attend an Icelandic bar take-over at Liberty for special Brennivín cocktails prepared by renowned Icelandic mixologist Tóta. From 7:00 p.m. to close, experience the unique flavors that Iceland brings to cocktails and celebrate the final night of this year’s weeklong, cross-cultural event in Seattle, Taste of Iceland.
Attendees must be 21 and over to attend. Space is limited – entry will be granted on a first-come, first-served basis.
Media Preview Reception
Wednesday, October 16 | 6:00 p.m.
A media preview happy hour will be held at Cuoco to kick-off the Taste of Iceland events where media will have the opportunity to sample the Icelandic menu and cocktails as well as meet with representatives from Iceland and Taste of Iceland partners. Please email daniel@whyforgood.comto RSVP for the preview.
About Taste of Iceland in Seattle
The acclaimed, multi-day festival showcases the best of Iceland, offering attendees an experiential glimpse into Iceland’s rich culture, creativity and innovation. Taste of Iceland in Seattle is presented by Iceland Naturally in cooperation with Cuoco, KEXP, National Nordic Museum, Hotel Andra, The Seattle Public Library, Iceland Music, Icelandair, Icelandic Group, Reyka Vodka, Reykjavik Loves, Visit Reykjavik, City of Reykjavik, Icelandic Glacial Water, Blue Lagoon, Keflavik International Airport (KEF), Landsvirkjun, Ölgerðin Egill Skallagrímsson, Icelandic Lamb, Promote Iceland, and Icelandic Provisions.
About Iceland Naturally
Iceland Naturally is a cooperative marketing organization comprised of top Icelandic brands that promotes the tourism, services, products and culture of Iceland to the North American audience. It represents the true essence of Iceland, its creativity and spectacular natural wonders. Through a series of robust online channels, Iceland Naturally bridges the gap between North America and Iceland in engaging and meaningful ways. Its online presence showcases the best of what Iceland has to offer, and encourages North Americans to experience the country for themselves. The group is comprised of Iceland’s top companies and organizations: Icelandair, Icelandic Group, Reyka Vodka, City of Reykjavik, Icelandic Glacial Water, Blue Lagoon, Keflavik International Airport (KEF), Landsvirkjun, Ölgerðin Egill Skallagrímsson, Icelandic Lamb, Promote Iceland, Icelandic Provisions and the Government of Iceland. Follow Iceland Naturally on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.