MATEY SEAFOOD FESTIVAL IN VESTMANNAEYJAR ICELAND

MATEY Seafood festival in Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland. The islands of Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland, one of Iceland’s biggest secrets are now on the gastronomic world map, the MATEY Seafood Festival of Vestmannaeyjar, will be held there for the third time from the 5th until 7th of September 2024. Matey Seafood Festival 2024, features an incredible line-up of all-female guest chefs, these culinary stars will bring their unique flavours and creative talents to Vestmannaeyjar.
Don’t miss out on this celebration of seafood and female excellence from chefs:
- Adriana Solis Cavita from Mexico will be at GOTT. Hailing from Mexico City, Adriana’s culinary journey is deeply rooted in the rich traditions of her homeland. From her early days in the vibrant markets of San Felipe Ixtacuixtla, where her Grandma’s street food business sparked her passion, to working at some of the world’s most renowned restaurants.
- Rosie May Maguire from UK will be at Slippurinn. Rosie’s journey through the culinary world has been marked by her passion, curiosity, and dedication to the craft. With a BA (Hons) in Culinary Arts from the University of Derby, Rosie has worked in some of the most esteemed kitchens, from a private members club in the Scottish Highlands to the Michelin-starred Restaurant Mana in Manchester.
- Renata Zalles from Bolivia will be at Einsi Kaldi. Renata is a globally trained Bolivian chef and the visionary behind STUFFED., an up-and-coming restaurant in Copenhagen set to open this October.
Matey is the brainchild of chef Gísli Matthias Auðunson and renaissance man Frosti Gíslason, with the support of a host of local businesses, producers and sponsors.
Restaurants, fish factories, food producers and other food industry service partners collaborate to highlight the food of Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland. Exploring the genuine food of Vestmannaeyjar, with a sneak peak at the cultural history and learning how the coastal community collaborates to bring 1st class quality fish and fish products to your dish. The festival teaches the importance of the blue economy of the islands and the experience great fish from family run restaurants around the island.
Rooted in Vestmannaeyjar, the homegrown food festival seeks to celebrate the bounty of Icelandic waters and the ingenuity of using local produce, while sharing these culinary treats by inviting guest chefs to revisit Icelandic ingredients and serve them anew. Food festivals here are largely unknown and most associate them with the two decade old Food and Fun festival, the OG, that introduced Icelanders to the culinary world by inviting guest chefs from around the globe to take over local restaurants in a weekend-only pop-up format. Matey leans on this format, but that is where the similarities end.
As you might have guessed, Matey is not the kind of festival where you trek through fields in muddy trainers. This is a festival that invites international chefs to the islands to take over its top restaurants, with the challenge of creating intricate fine-dining menus out of local ingredients (some of which has just been pulled out of the sea that morning). The whole thing is headed up by Slippurinn chef Gísli Matt, one of the names responsible for the growing spotlight on Iceland’s food scene.
A variety of restaurants offer different aspects of local cuisine and fusion of cuisines from around the world. Exploring the culture and food history by sampling authentic local dishes with a twist from some of the best chefs in Europe.
Vestmannaeyjar has become one of the best culinary destinations in Iceland and was nominated to the Embla food awards as the best Nordic Food Destination in 2021.