H.E. Vanadziņš Ziemeļu restorāns • Cēsis, Latvia • 1 March 2024
Kartupelis Gardēdim (“Potato for Gourmets”) was a four-course gourmet potato dinner held at Michelin-recognized restaurant H.E. Vanadziņš Ziemeļu restorāns as part of the international United By Potato Power events in Cēsis, Latvia.
The dinner was conceived by potato artist and Think Potato Institute founder Jeffrey Allen Price, who proposed the idea while participating in the conference and cultural program surrounding the event. Drawing inspiration from the celebrated eighteenth-century potato banquets organized by French agronomist Antoine-Augustin Parmentier, the dinner sought to demonstrate the potato’s extraordinary culinary potential while celebrating its cultural, historical, and symbolic significance.
Chef Edgars Rubenis embraced the challenge of creating a sophisticated potato-centered dining experience and developed an ambitious four-course menu utilizing numerous local potato varieties. Following each course, the chef personally addressed the guests, explaining his ingredients, techniques, and approach to elevating the potato within contemporary haute cuisine.
The evening brought together approximately forty guests, including conference participants, organizers, researchers, artists, and members of the public. Jeffrey Allen Price spoke about the historical influence of Parmentier and the role that food, storytelling, and cultural events have played in shaping public perceptions of the potato for centuries. Ilze Dimante contributed living potato plants as table decorations and addressed guests during the dinner, further connecting the culinary experience to the broader themes of the conference.
The event was documented by Latvian television network RETV, which featured interviews with Chef Edgars Rubenis, conference organizers, and participating guests. The resulting news segment highlighted both the meal itself and the larger cultural vision behind the project.
More than a dinner, Kartupelis Gardēdim represented a rare convergence of agriculture, gastronomy, history, and art. By bringing together Michelin-level cuisine and potato cultural heritage, the project demonstrated how the humble potato can serve as a catalyst for dialogue, celebration, and creative exchange across disciplines.
For Jeffrey Allen Price, the evening remains one of the most memorable potato experiences of his career and a contemporary realization of the spirit embodied by Parmentier’s legendary potato feasts more than two centuries earlier.
The following menu was created by chef Edgars Rubenis using multiple Latvian potato varieties and served on March 1, 2024 at H.E. Vanadziņš Ziemeļu restorāns in Cēsis, Latvia.
Menu (Transcribed)
ĒDIENKARTE
Compliment
Roasted potato cracker, fermented garlic cream, blue potato powder, lupin.
First Course
Potato / trout / meadow cranberry.
Colored potato / horseradish / Riga sprats / dill and lavender tartare.
Dill oil.
Rosemary bread crumbs.
Second Course
Potato / cod / broad beans.
Cod croquette with roasted garlic.
Tomato mousse.
Lightly salted cucumber.
Main Course
Colored roasted potato / plum.
Ashes.
Blue cow cheese.
Cottage cheese cream.
Carrot puree.
Blue cabbage chips.
Dessert
Potato / yogurt / chocolate cake.
Vanilla mousse.
Sour cherry sauce.
Sour berry ice cream.
Beverages
(Available throughout the meal)
White wine / Sparkling wine / Beer
Coffee / Tea
Event Coverage:
2024 — RETV (Latvia) — Potato for Gourmets
Feature on the Potatoism concept at a Michelin-star restaurant in Latvia.
Related Projects:
→ Global Potato Cinema Exhibition (2024)
→ Open Feast: Potato Potluck (2012)
Related Documentation:
→ Institute Chronicle: Parmentier Would Have Approved
→ Institute Chronicle: From Parmentier to Latvia: Potato for Gourmets on RETV