It started with The Naked Chef
My interest in cooking really took off when I discovered Jamie Oliver and The Naked Chef.
It wasn’t just the recipes that fascinated me. It was his attitude.
Why must we always do exactly what the recipe says? What happens if we change the ingredients a little, try another technique or put our own stamp on a dish?
Jamie taught me to see a recipe as a starting point, rather than a definitive answer. That curiosity has stayed with me ever since.
The cooks who left their mark
Jamie Oliver
He opened the door to the world of cooking for me. His relaxed approach and willingness to experiment made cooking feel both accessible and fun.
Jamie Oliver ↗
Anthony Bourdain
I have spent countless hours watching Bourdain’s travel programmes. He showed that food is about far more than ingredients. It is about people, traditions, places and experiences.
Work and holidays have given me plenty of opportunities to travel, and we like to try local food wherever we go.
Chilli crab in Singapore and balut in the Philippines are among my more adventurous food experiences.
But a good Swedish räkmacka — an open-faced prawn sandwich — on a beautiful summer evening can be just as memorable. The atmosphere around a meal is often as important as the food.
Anthony Bourdain · Parts Unknown ↗
Gordon Ramsay
Ramsay’s almost painstaking precision fascinates me. Temperature, timing, texture and detail are never left to chance.
There is a great deal to learn from a chef who takes his craft so seriously.
Gordon Ramsay ↗Eyvind Hellstrøm
Hellstrøm has been an important source of inspiration through his books and cooking programmes.
His focus on ingredients, technique and classical cooking reminds me that good food begins with understanding.
Eyvind Hellstrøm ↗Gino D’Acampo
I love his Italian pride in doing things properly.
Italian food is about more than recipes. It is about traditions, families and regional identity.
Sometimes we need to understand why Italians defend the original so passionately before we start experimenting.
Gino D’Acampo ↗Gennaro Contaldo
Gennaro is a bit of a loose cannon, but what an artist!
His enthusiasm in the kitchen is infectious. Experience, instinct and a love of ingredients matter just as much as measurements and stopwatches.
Gennaro Contaldo ↗Chef Jean-Pierre
What I appreciate most about Chef Jean-Pierre is his ability to explain.
He makes complicated techniques understandable, yet also takes the time to explain the simplest things.
That is a quality I want Sapidus to embrace. Nobody should need to be a professional chef to understand why a technique works.
Chef Jean-Pierre ↗Pasta Grammar
Pasta Grammar has given me a great deal of enjoyment through the way they share authentic Italian food culture.
They reveal how much history, tradition and regional pride lie behind seemingly simple dishes.
Pasta Grammar ↗The books that inspired me
Alongside these cooks, books on sauces and stocks, classical kitchen craft, Italian pizza and different food traditions have given me a wealth of knowledge and inspiration.
Some books have taught me technique. Others have made me want to try something completely new.
What they share is that they have made cooking an ever more exciting journey.
From inspiration to my own kitchen
The most important learning, though, has happened at home. By trying, tasting, getting things wrong, adjusting and trying again.
Sometimes you discover that a small change makes an enormous difference. Other times you learn that the original recipe really was best. Both lessons are valuable.
Why Sapidus?
Sapidus is my way of sharing some of this knowledge and joy in food. I want to explain not only how to make a dish, but why.
Why do we brown meat? What happens when we toast spices? Why does pizza dough need time? And how can small adjustments lift a dish?
I want to respect traditions while keeping the freedom to experiment.
There are many talented cooks and inspiring people out there. Those mentioned here are some of the people who have given me a particularly great deal of knowledge, inspiration and enjoyment.
For me, food deserves to be taken seriously. But cooking should also be fun.
Welcome to Sapidus.
A personal account by Eivind Haugland, edited and translated with AI assistance.