As autumn slowly sets aside the abundance of its harvest for winter stores and a quieter rhythm settles outdoors, a different kind of activity begins in the kitchens. From 13 to 22 November, Valmiera Region will host Restaurant Week, inviting guests to savour the moment and bring together at one table local produce, the work of the producer, and the creativity of the restaurant chef. It will be an opportunity to treat yourself with time and new taste discoveries, while appreciating what is created right here and the people whose work makes it possible.
November has no single flavour. It is smoky and rich, sweet and nutty, warm and hearty—with the aroma of freshly baked bread, the strength of autumn soil, the gentleness of honey, and notes that emerge only when the best of the season meets the hands of a talented chef. During Valmiera Region Restaurant Week, six restaurants and cafés will invite guests to experience this meeting: “AKUSTIKA”, “Rātes vārti”, the restaurant at “Wolmar” hotel, Valmiermuiža Beer Kitchen, “Ahh-Meat” café in Valmiera, and “Būda” in Mazsalaca.
Discover what is made in Valmiera Region!
Good food does not begin in a restaurant alone. It begins in the fields, the apiary, the barn, the garden… It begins with the hands that sow, grow, tend, harvest, and preserve. With knowledge passed down from generation to generation, and with the patience that does not allow nature to be rushed beyond its own rhythm. Then it reaches the restaurant kitchen, where local produce meets the chef’s signature style and becomes a discovery of flavour. This year, the journey will lead through six products and six stories. Honey, goat’s milk, hemp, quail, lamb, and rye bread—each is different, each has its own character and origin, and each depends on people whose work brings it to the plate at the right time and in the right quality. It is a story about the value we create together and the chance to appreciate it—as a reward to ourselves. About the producer who grows and creates with care. About the chef who sees the extraordinary in the familiar. About the restaurant that chooses to work with local producers. And about the guest who makes time to savour the experience and appreciates their work through their choice. Treat yourself—discover new flavours and appreciate what is created right here! Valmiera Region has a rich range of locally made products that we invite you to discover!
Restaurant “AKUSTIKA” will work with the Ozols family, Intars and Marta, from the “Ozolu bites” farm, giving honey a place of honour on the table. Bees have been part of Intars’s life since childhood, and together with Marta he approaches this work not only as a farmer, but also with a love of the countryside and simple, genuine things that he experienced as a child. Here, honey is more than sweetness. It is the warmth of the sun, the perseverance of bees, and a little of a Vidzeme summer, preserved in a single spoonful.
This time, restaurant “Rātes vārti” will join forces with Dace Šulce and Jorens Gredzens of the “Gredzenmuiža” farm, where goat’s milk is one of the main products. Milk that can be both simple and refined—white as the first snow, warm as a country kitchen, with a character and presence that allow a chef to create something unexpected from the familiar.
The “Hotel Wolmar restaurant” has chosen to work with “Adzelvieši”, one of Latvia’s farms where hemp has been grown for several generations and traditions of Latvian farming associated with it are also maintained. Hemp is a product of the earth with character—slightly rugged, nutty, deep, and at the same time unmistakably Latvian. It does not need to loudly announce its presence.
This year, quail from the “Ibseni” farm will take pride of place at Valmiermuiža Beer Kitchen—the carefully nurtured choice and everyday work of farmer Sintija Putene–Cukmace. A small bird with a surprisingly great gastronomic potential—exactly the kind of product that gives a chef something to discover.
“Ahh-Meat” café will work with Ilze and Valters Mitāns’s “Lamb club”, serving a meal featuring lamb. At “Lamb club”, everything begins with care for the flock, daily work, and farming in which nothing is rushed. Perhaps that is precisely why lamb has its distinctive character, which the chef need only bring to the fore?
Meanwhile, Mazsalaca café “Būda” will create its story together with Jānis Vidovskis, the owner of “Oša maize”, placing rye bread at the centre—the dark, fragrant, hearty taste of Latvia that feels almost indispensable on an autumn table.
Valmiera Region Restaurant Week menus coming soon!
During Restaurant Week, things that would otherwise be in different places will meet at one table: local produce and the person who grew it, a chef with a distinctive style, and a guest ready to taste. Very soon, we will reveal the Restaurant Week menus and invite you to reserve a table. Restaurant Week guests will be able to enjoy a three-course meal for €37, with the option of choosing a drink pairing for an additional charge. We invite you to celebrate Latvia’s Independence Day in Valmiera Region—with an evening at a beautifully set table and one of the Region’s cultural events! More information at https://visit.valmiera.lv/en/ and on Visit Valmiera’s social media channels, Facebook and Instagram.
Treat yourself—with time that belongs to you. With people whose presence is precious. With flavours that remind you how much goodness can be found right here in Valmiera Region. Because sometimes a reward is not a medal, a diploma, or loud applause. It can also be a beautifully set table, three courses, and an evening when, at last, there is nowhere you need to rush off to.
Information prepared by: Anita Tīlena, Valmiera Region Tourism Board, Deputy Head, Mobile: +371 25664420
