1. What’s the story behind Dzidra?
It all started out with a desire to gather our family and friends, and be able to share the art, food and music they made. The idea was to do a small gallery with shared ateliers with a few pop-ups – but as COVID hit we realized we wanted to be able to gather our people in a different way. We’d both worked in the restaurant industry for many years, and wanted to create something different, something where we felt the food and service were welcoming and honest.
During the first lockdown Andreas was building everything from scratch; the kitchen, the counter, the bar etc., while Isabella was finishing her BA from the University of Copenhagen, she created the visual identity and menu for our space. This meant that we had the time to nurture every inch of the space.
2. What’s the essence of Dzidra?
Family and friends! And delicious and fun food, you’d feel like making yourself at home, and drinks you never thought of.
3. Which is the most ordered dish?
Our grilled cheese – hands down. It’s also the best grilled cheese we’ve ever had, especially with a little of our homemade kimchi jam.
4. What are your goals for Dzidra?
We’ve tried to answer this a few times, the goal keeps evolving, as everything else. It’s a dream to continue to house our guests, friends, guests who become friends, family and more. As we look back, we’ve already reach many of our goals, so hopefully just to continue evolving <3
5. Who or what is your biggest inspiration?
Our neighborhood! The people who grow our food! The people who fight for other people! The mothers who mother both their own and kids of other mothers!
6. Last meal?
Our last homemade meal was a two days ago, where Isabella cooked ajíaco, a traditional Colombian soup, for some of our friends visiting from Japan. To make ajíaco you need a very specific type of potatoes called papas criollas, which you cannot find in Denmark. So a few years ago Isabella asked her mother Carmen Adriana to bring her a small bag of raw potatoes. She reached out to our friend Leon, a great potato farmer, who successfully produced around 3 kilos of the little bag her mother brought. The satisfaction!!!!
7. Your must have ingredient in your fridge/pantry
OLIVE OIL FROM PSYCHE! Always <3 And Andreas’ homemade kimchi, gochujang, fresh veggies, buckwheat noodles, eggs, a good soy sauce and panela sugar.
8. A dish that brings you to your childhood.
Andreas: a kartoffelmad with potatoes from Samsø! I grew up spending all summers there with my parents and their friends and all of the kids. We would bike around and get freshly harvested potatoes from the surrounding farms. Still feels magical to this day.
Isabella: I grew up in two very different households - at my mothers it would probably be beans, rice, cilantro and an avocado. My dad used to help out occasionally in an old fish monger at the harbor, so in the summer time we would eat all types of different seafood. My favorite, and still to this day, was brown crab claws served with an aioli with saffron and a slice of bread.
9. What’s the perfect pair to olive oil?
Everything. Ice cream, bread, soups, grilled vegetables, fresh fruit. We basically put it on everything!
10. How would you describe Psyche Organic Olive oil in one word?
Greasy!