Heavenly good BBQ in Imnäs
Christer Karlsson and Li Berglund run Grillat in Imnäs
Christer Karlsson and Li Berglund in Imnäs outside Ramsele run not only an electricity company but also the summer restaurant Imnäs BBQ, which opened a couple of years ago, offers catering and recently started selling sauces and spices under the name Grillat i Imnäs.
Christer has roots in the area but was born and raised outside Stockholm. In 2002, he and Li decided to take over Christer's grandfather's farm in Imnäs and move there with the whole family.
- The idea of living here has always existed; it is simply home for me. That the move happened was probably due to a combination of the farm being empty, it was well in time because one of our sons was just about to change schools and the other was a newborn (together with a bit of a 30-year crisis), summarises Christer.
In addition to Imnäs Elektriska, the couple runs the company Grillat i Imnäs/Imnäs BBQ. In recent years, what started as a side project has grown into a business that includes everything from catering and engagement at festivals to Christmas parties and the summer's most visited restaurant of the year in Imnäs.
- My interest in cooking has always been there, and grilling started with Burger Tuesday, a project where we made a new version of hamburger every Tuesday. We started posting pictures of them on Facebook and got a lot of followers. From there, it took off, and now it's something we work on full-time during parts of the year.
- One way to ensure you have a job when you live in a sparsely populated area is to start something you believe in. Since the costs of living and living here are much more reasonable than in the big cities, there are entirely different opportunities to invest in your ideas as well, notes Li.
In 2018, the couple started a pop-up restaurant at home on the farm in Imnäs, an experiment that turned out well and gave more taste. The conditions looked different due to the ongoing pandemic this year, but with adaptations and creative solutions, this year's season was also a success.
- If there's anything we have around here, it's space, notes Christer and he tells us that both the "loge" and the outside dining area were expanded with more seats in the spring.
- Of course, travelling looked different this year. However, people still wanted to have experiences and eat well. Outdoor cooking, plenty of space and beautiful views were a good combination because we have been fully booked almost every weekend right into the fall.
The Imnäs restaurant has taken a much-needed break, but Christer and Li are still working in the flavour industry. Last spring, Grillat i Imnäs launched its spice mixes, rubs and BBQ sauces.
- It has required a lot of experimentation with grinding degrees and mixtures for the spices to taste right and stay mixed. Now we have a series of locally made products that we are delighted with, and more variants are in the works in the future, Christer concludes.