Chef Sirly Ylläsjärvi on risks, reindeer, and ‘rolling up her sleeves’

March marks International Women’s Day, and who better to celebrate with than restaurant entrepreneur Sirly Ylläsjärvi. Chef, restaurant owner, and huntress – She does it all! Bear Grylls might survive the wild, but Sirly hunts it and serves it beautifully on a plate.

 Jake: Hey Sirly, thanks so much for chatting with us today.

Sirly: The pleasure is mine!

Jake: Let’s take it back to the beginning…

What first got you into cooking? Was it something you always knew you wanted to do? 

Sirly: This story begins with little Sirly from Estonia, in my grandmother’s kitchen. There were always the most wonderful aromas, and my grandmother’s language of love was food.  

Jake: I’m with grandma – food really is the language of love!

Sirly: Due to many challenges, I felt quite lost when I was young and feared that I would never become anything. Then I realised that I was actually pretty good at cooking. At the age of 23, I applied for the MasterChef TV show, and that’s when it all officially began.

You’ve been involved in many exciting projects like Restaurant Elsa and Aurora Estate. How do you manage everything? 

Sirly: I have always been a hard worker, and I believe it comes from growing up in the countryside. I have never met anyone who was raised in a rural area and was afraid of hard work.  The strong, positive emotions of success I experienced in my early working life have given me such a drive and passion for what I do that I am not easily stopped!  

At the end of the workday, I go home, I am located in Lapland, surrounded by nature. There, my nervous system calms down, and I find peace – then I’m ready to go again!

Jake: I love that – it sounds like nature’s your reset button.

What advice would you give to women aspiring to build a career in the hospitality industry?

Sirly: If you love pampering people, have an eye for detail, and aren’t afraid of hard work, this is for you. In this industry, success belongs to meticulous perfectionists who dream big.  

All you need to do is roll up your sleeves, get to work, and take risks.  Then again, that might just be the formula for success in any field!

Jake: I think that sounds like solid advice and highlights the resilient country spirit that you were talking about.

What’s been the toughest lesson you’ve learned as a restaurant owner and as an entrepreneur?

Sirly: The past year has been the toughest of my life. The business had a bad year, and I was left to handle it alone. That same year brought many losses.  

Jake: That sounds very tough. I’m really sorry you had to go through that.

Sirly: The hardest part is that you can’t always step away from being an entrepreneur. But that’s just how it is, and you have to accept it.  As an entrepreneur, you are responsible for other people and carry a huge amount of obligations. But when success finally comes, the reward is yours as well.

You’ve been on shows like MasterChef oraz Chef War. What’s it like being in the public eye?

Sirly: I have participated in TV shows that support my career, and I’ve truly enjoyed being part of them and handling the pressure!  Being in the public eye in Finland is quite relaxed – people are kind, and it actually helps with entrepreneurship and running restaurants.  

Jake: How do you handle photo requests and messages from fans?

Sirly: I love it when someone wants to take a photo together or sends me a message on social media. I rarely experience anything negative from it!

Jake: That’s great to hear. I guess that it’s not always like that.

You have a deep connection with nature and the outdoors. Do your surroundings influence the way you cook or run your restaurants?

Sirly: Absolutely! I draw all my inspiration from nature. I love the challenge that Lapland brings to menu creation. Especially at Elsa, I have set very strict guidelines on which ingredients I use.  

I strive to use Nordic and locally sourced ingredients as much as possible – reindeer from just 15 km away, king crab from Norway, 300 km away.  

Jake: Do you produce anything yourself?

Sirly: In the summer, I grow as much as I can in the greenhouse, in the fall, I forage mushrooms and buy berries from local pickers.  But I also do it because it truly makes a difference on the plate – and my customers appreciate it.

What’s next for you? Any exciting projects on the horizon that we should keep an eye out for?

Sirly: I always seem to have multiple projects going on!

I’m aiming to launch my own *Elsa* ice cream brand by summer, using milk from Lapland cows. Then there’s the big sauna and restaurant project, *Äkäs*, which will get going as soon as we finalise the paperwork – it’s all about zoning at this stage.  

Jake: Ice cream made with Lapland milk? Nice.

Sirly: Before that, I’m planning to take a one-month break in May to pause and reflect on everything I’ve done over the past ten years – saying goodbye to Aurora Estate, starting something new, and fine-tuning Elsa’s concept and menus.

If you could go back and give your younger self one piece of golden advice about making it in this industry, what would it be?

Sirly: “You are on the right path, and you will succeed. Don’t listen to the doubters – use their doubt as fuel!”

Jake: Love that, Sirly – definitely keeping that mindset. Thank you so much for your time, and wishing you a successful year ahead!

Sirly: Thank you, those were such wonderful questions! Hope to see you in Lapland some day!

Jake: I might just take you up on that.

That’s a wrap! Learn more about Sirly’s adventures tutaj. Stay tuned for more interviews – follow the blog for the latest.