Adam Bjerck is an artist - in both the studio and the kitchen. For him, creating something is the key to a happy life, whether he’s serving the city's best grilled côte de boeuf or painting innovative pictures.
"Good food. Good art. Good life. I think that's nice," says Adam Bjerck.
Plain and simple.
A chef, artist, lunchbox founder, former national team chef, the 35-year-old Bergen native has worked in New York and at Norway's Institute of Gastronomy, and is behind several restaurants in the centre of Bergen, including Flammeburger, Bjerck, and Engen Steakhouse.
But despite his long CV, when the latter restaurant opened its doors a few years ago, all the experience in the world was reduced to the very simplest elements. And a flaming grill.
Adam never considered embarking on a career path other than food.
"It's always been food for me," he says. As a 3-year-old he was already standing on a stool next to his grandmother in the kitchen. She had her apron on and there were always either fish cakes or meatballs and both everyday and traditional dinners on the stove. There was just a small table by the window in the kitchen, and when the whole family gathered they sat round the long dining table in the living room. The room carried the scent of furniture that had been lovingly cared for and preserved, the mild sweetness of detergent, spices, and freshly cooked food. Adam remembers this well, a sense of security and calm in all the scents.
"I was allowed to stir the pots, and add a little salt and pepper. I think this helped me choose to go the food route. I never really thought that I would be anything other than a chef, it's always been food for me," he says again.
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The security of his grandmother is typical of Adam's upbringing in Arna, close to fjords, forests, and mountains – and only a quarter of an hour from Bergen's city centre.
"I grew up in a classic terraced house, with a short distance to plenty of places to play and with kids of the same age right outside the door. But I'm still not going back there when I grow up," says Adam and laughs:
"I mean, it was a very nice upbringing, and I want exactly the same thing for my own two children, but closer to urban life."
Bergen is the city where Adam truly feels at home. He has restaurants and family here, and thinks the city stands out in Norway, in all of Europe, in fact.
"It's a beautiful city with a lot of culture in it. When you live here, you become a little blind to what's around you, but I think Bergen has a lot of nice features and nice people. The people are a bit eccentric, but I guess everyone thinks so!"
As mentioned earlier, Adam had several hectic years before settling down in the centre of Bergen. The key words are the national team, Adam's lunchbox, Feinschmecker, and New York. On top of that, he was working out a little bit too much. When he injured his arm, everything abruptly stopped, and Adam was forced to take a break from the kitchen. He arranged a space for himself in the garage, where he then remained for a year. The only person who knew that what he was doing in there was creating art, was his wife.
"I had to have something creative to do, but painting is something else. It's just yourself... And then you have to show it to others. But it just grew and grew and I held exhibitions, and the painting has now actually become something in its own right.
In 2021, he held his first solo exhibition at Kunsthuset Wendelboe in Bergen city centre. All of his works sold out.
Adam speaks softly. He is humble and reflective.
"The feeling of creating something is important to me. I feel that cooking and painting are much the same, in that you make something that you can physically see at the end. You use the visuals, all the colours, and combine things – like in a kitchen. I'm guessing many chefs are also great artists."
Engen Steakhouse in Bergen is the place for those who love grilled food and good conversations.
There are not a lot of different colours on your plate at Engen. You just have the reds and blacks of the exclusive cuts of meat that have just been on the grill. And next to them are the sides: yellow potatoes, green Brussels sprouts, and bright red tomatoes. It's the best of both worlds: the simplicity of grandma's kitchen is on display while you also feel the New York vibe of white porcelain and large windows that is evidence of Adam's CV. All this inside a real steakhouse with a Mibrasa charcoal oven.
"For me, the experience at Engen is of a perfect meal: pure, fresh, and good," says Adam. "Simply put, you are served what you want to eat, but such a place has been lacking in Bergen!"