The campaign, titled “Have Some Finnish,” will select 16 international participants across the two dinners. Applicants can register through FinnishDinnerDate.com for the opportunity to attend a candlelit tasting menu featuring Finnish culinary traditions.
Dating Experiences Promote Finnish Cuisine
The initiative introduces a dating concept to Finland’s Official Tasting dinners, which showcase regional cuisine and culinary traditions. Organisers designed the events to introduce international visitors to Finnish food through shared dining experiences.
The concept draws inspiration from Finland’s “Sinkkukori,” or “single basket,” phenomenon. Pink grocery baskets allow single shoppers to signal their openness to meeting someone while shopping.
“Finnish food is a direct expression of our famously happy way of life: a way of connecting to place, to season, and to the people around you,” says Heli Jimenez, Senior Director, International Marketing at Business Finland. “Food brings Finns together, and now we are inviting travelers to join us in a truly one-of-a-kind way.”
Regional Menus Feature Finnish Chefs
The Helsinki dinner will feature a tasting menu created by chef Adele Kinnunen, Head Chef at Café Savoy. Kinnunen has worked in high-end kitchens and appeared on Finland’s Masterchef Professionals.
In Tampere, located in the Lakeland region, chef Henry Tikkanen will create the tasting menu. Tikkanen is the restaurateur of Gösta, has represented Finland at Bocuse d’Or and was named Finnish Chef of the Year in 2001.
| Chefs Chef Henry Tikkanen (left) and Adele Kinnunen |
The selected participants will experience the two destinations through food, regional stories, landscapes and local traditions. The dinners form part of a broader initiative to introduce international travellers to Finnish cuisine and regional tourism experiences.
Official Tasting Initiative Expands Culinary Tourism
Finland introduced its Official Tasting menus in early 2026 to define and showcase its national cuisine. The country also invited international travellers to participate in its first Official Tasting trips.
These experiences include a four-day food trip centred on a tasting dinner. The programme combines regional gastronomy with local landscapes, stories and cultural traditions.
Finnish cuisine draws on seasonal and locally sourced ingredients, including wild fish, game, berries and mushrooms. Its culinary traditions reflect the country’s natural environment and changing seasons.
Finland Seeks Greater International Recognition
The campaign presents Finnish cuisine to international audiences as part of the country’s wider tourism offering. While Italian, Chinese and other Nordic cuisines have established international recognition, Finnish gastronomy remains less familiar to many global travellers.
“From sauna food traditions to foraging, Finnish cuisine tells a story that exists nowhere else. We want visitors to experience that story in full,” Jimenez says. “Coming to the world’s happiest country, they may find love – with each other, with Finnish food or with their new favorite travel destination.”
Through the February 2027 dinner events, Finland will combine regional tasting menus with social experiences to introduce international visitors to Helsinki, Tampere and the country’s culinary traditions.
Tags: Finland Heli Jimenez Business Finland
