The local ingredients from trusted producers form the heart of our kitchen. It is important for us to know that the livestock are kept well and live happy. You can taste the high quality of meat, fish, vegetables and berries in the dishes we serve. We bring the delicacies of each season to the table for our customers to enjoy.
Vaiha means uncomplicated and tasty food made with love from the best local ingredients.
The chef of Vaiha, Teemu, knew already as a 5-year-old that he wants to be a cook. He learned to appreciate fresh home-grown ingredients already in his early years: greens, vegetables, apples, berries, all grew in the home yard, and fish was caught from Lake Saimaa.
Teemu’s road to Mikkeli began with gastronomy studies in Lappeenranta, continued to the top restaurants in Helsinki and finally took him to Anttolanhovi in South Savo. There he met the other love of his life, his wife Anna-Kaisa, with whom he could share his passion for food made from home-grown and local ingredients.
In 2017, Teemu’s dream of his own restaurant came true when Restaurant Vaiha was established in the old railway station building in the centre of Mikkeli. The historical building gave the restaurant a special atmosphere. Here the couple could do what they love: cook authentic Finnish food from pure and fresh ingredients. And most importantly, the competent and committed staff share their passion for food.
Our family and team are in this with all their hearts and we want to offer the best culinary experiences to our customers.
– Enterpreneurs of Vaiha, Teemu ja Anna-Kaisa
What could do more justice to a restaurant serving traditional local foods than a historic railway station from the 19th century in the heart of Mikkeli?
The railway station has always been a crossroads for people; a place to meet and hop on a train. It is a perfect place to catch up, have a break and enjoy good food with friends.
Teemu took the local gastronomic specialties of South Savo with him to the international Green Week in Berlin in 2019 and 2020. Teemu and the team of local entrepreneurs as well as gastronomy students introduced the traditional delicacies to the visitors of the trade fair and it paid off. Besides the audience, the famous TV chef from Hesse, Reiner Neidhart, was convinced of the quality of the food. The two chefs from South Savo and Hesse prepared local foods together in several cooking events on the fair. This marked the beginning of the cooperation between Vaiha in Mikkeli and Neidhart’s Kitchen in Frankfurt.
As in Finland, in Germany too people are getting more interested in the origin of food. In the summer after the Green Week in 2019 , Reiner visited South Savo to get familiar with the local food production. After the visit it was clear that the two chefs would continue to work together also in the future.
Let's be proud of our local foods. We can grow food in our own yards and fields or pick wild food from the forests.
-Teemu, Chef of Vaiha
Vaiha was conceived from our love to local food and the fine ingredients from the Saimaa region. Into our dishes, we add a great deal of local gastronomic heritage and spice it up with some fresh ideas. That's the secret of Vaiha's tasty food.
Welcome to enjoy the best tastes of Saimaa to Vaiha, to the heart of the City of Mikkeli!
